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Location

Message

Date Posted

Grittyville, WA

So much trouble with viruses and flea beetles! I have a beehive right next to the tomatoes five feet away & I don’t want to use anything highly toxic to bees... plus I would like to be able to eat any extra tomatoes. But with all the viruses I think there may not be many extra tomatoes anyhow. The plants are growing but 1/2 what it should be and production is 1/10 what it should be...

My days as a tomato grower appear to be numbered... I don’t know how to deal with this mess... Any help or advice please...

7/9/2018 4:28:26 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Number one for virus: Don't use straw for tomato mulch ever again.

7/9/2018 8:58:22 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Number one for virus: Don't use straw for tomato mulch ever again.

7/9/2018 8:58:30 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

I'm assuming your bees are yellow jackets? Hang a yellow jacket traps nearby. I have them all over and I'm filling the traps up with them buggers weekly.

7/9/2018 9:00:47 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

I use plastic mulch that warms the soil and retains moisture. Had flea beetles before the mulch but now I don't..they don't like hopping on it.
Most gardening catelogs have this stuff (Johnny's Seeds is a good source).
You are on my team! You just have to grow one tomato. At this point any size will do! I still have faith.

7/9/2018 9:07:10 AM

Grittyville, WA

Sorry rick. I'd be doing great if it were not for these problems. The bees are honeybees they are not a problem. You should be thankful for all the wasps/hornets they might be eating lots of your aphids? Interesting about the fabric. I tilled the crap out of the ground where they are at its new ground the pests and viruses are coming in from elsewhere / the other garden areas nearby.

7/9/2018 2:54:40 PM

Grittyville, WA

These pests were NOT part of the plan!!!

7/9/2018 3:03:04 PM

On a cliff in the desert

Glenomkins, I will be doing some posts in my grower diary that might help you with some of your problems. I bought some plants on clearance that may deter bad bugs and attract good bugs. I'll even give you a suggestion for deterring moles.

7/9/2018 3:17:34 PM

Central NY

Get rid of all that straw...it’s just one big bug attractant...damp nasty soggy mess...your soil is prolly still working on converting all of last years garbage you dumped on it...my advice would be less experimenting and do what works first..a lot less complaining and more weeding...other than that I hope you turn it around and grow a beast...

7/9/2018 5:07:30 PM

Mn

I'd add more straw

7/9/2018 5:27:32 PM

Grittyville, WA

Add more lol. Well I sprayed with soap found a couple dead flea beatles and a lot fewer overall. Yes uncomposted organic material can be a bug habitat and keep the soil too cold. Not sure what else to do this year maybe im alone in having these problems... Ok well good luck to anyone having problems

7/9/2018 6:10:13 PM

Grittyville, WA

thanks all for the advice.

7/9/2018 6:18:34 PM

Central NY

Still time...clean up the area...let it dry out..keep it simple and keep up with the pruning...spray for bugs and disease...

7/9/2018 7:01:13 PM

Mn

Buy a couple tomatoes from the farmers market - use pesticides and fungicides- remove hay - should eliminate most of your problems

7/9/2018 7:08:01 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I still have 2 year old hay as mulch on about 1/3 of the plants. It keeps things somewhat moist since I don't have any irrigation setup. I do spray with systemic fungicides though. The rest if my garden might get the hay treatment. To grow 120 plants with lack of time..need to make sacrifices. Last year I grew with hay. My results were better with it than without due to the time i could spend pruning as compared to weeding. Too late this year to put down the weed fabric I have purchased. Will have to save it for next year.

7/9/2018 7:18:03 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Out of my 40 plants last year I experimented with one plant mid season. I put straw just around that one. Crawling up the stem was up this dark virus. Spread to the lower leaves then the whole plant. Never again. BNOT, don't use weed fabric, use plastic mulch in 4' wide rolls. It's a pain to tack down but it does the job. Spaces in between rows for water seepage.

7/9/2018 9:05:49 PM