There is nothing more that I hate than garden pests trying to catch a free ride. Not only do they harm your plants but you have to make sure you don't eat them, too!
I recently had some issues with my tomato plants and I couldn't figure out why they were beginning to curl and wilt, until I flipped over the leaves. And there they were aphids all over them!
I have read that many tomato plants from the nursery will likely have an aphid trying to catch a ride on them (something I will look for next season!) I also ready that a contributing factor to my aphid kingdom is due to the fertilizer I used. Sounds like these little buggers tend to show up when using liquid fertilizer (i.e. not time-released fertilizer such as a fertilizer spike.) So as I thought I was helping my tomatoes by feeding them, it appears it is also what lead to their aphid infestation.
Fortunately having aphids is not necessarily a death sentence for your tomato plants. There are various products out there designed to kill the aphids. If you try to be a little more "green" these days I used a squirt of Dawn soap in a squirt bottle of regular water. My goal was to wet the leaves to the point of dripping and if the spray of water knocked them off their perch, so be it.
With a day or two all that was left was dried aphid bodies on the backsides of the leaves. I continue to monitor them daily and if I see any I grab my squirt bottle and attack.
It remains to be seen the outcome of my sickly tomato plants that were affected (about 2 of 14 plants) which isn't terrible if it wasn't for the fact the two varieties were heirlooms that I only had one plant of each.
If you love tomatoes as much as I do, you have likely tried to grow your own. What I have always found frustrating is how unsightly the tomato cages are. After I came up with a unique idea, I realized it wasn't too unique as now they sell painted tomato cages at hardware stores! Ah-ha....but I won't be spending $5-$10 per cage....I'll make them myself.
Painted tomato cages are pretty easy to make, albeit a little time consuming depending upon how much of a perfectionist you are. You'll need the following to make it work:
- tomato cages
- spray paint primer (optional)
- colored spray paint
- tarp (optional, if you don't mind your grass getting paint on it, then skip it)
If you are looking for a more quality look, I recommend going the extra step and use primer as well. The finish will be smoother and the paint sticks more easily. I was rushed so I did some with and some without.
Since the bottom of the cage will be in the ground, I stuck the cage into the ground a little bit so it would stand up and I could spray it.
Prime and then paint the tomato cages and let dry. You'll need a couple coats of the color and likely you'll need to make a couple attempts as the cage has a lot of dimensions and there always seems to be another bare spot. Paint until you get the desired look.
I chose to do red, orange, and yellow primarily because I am growing tomatoes and I thought those colors would look best. I have read that reds, etc. will attract birds but who knows. Many tomatoes are red anyway, so what is the difference.
I did quite a few of them; here are the results!
