Some bug ate the leaves off my tomato plants

This is probably what got to them

Probably hornworms. The most rapidly destructive bugs I've ever seen for tomatoes! The plants might recover. Spray them with BT!

That's what I think too. Usually it's faster (and more satisfying) to pick hornworms off by hand and squash them. Tomatoes can recover from a

Bob

I used to feed hornworms to the chickens and ducks after hand picking them. That was even more fun to watch.

You didn't see the damage as it was occuring? How often do you check your garden? I don't believe bugs did all that damage in one night.

A tomato hornworm can take a branch off of a medium sized tomato plant overnight. Several worms and fairly small plants overnight would be long enough.

The OP seems to be in Canada and I doubt that his plants have been in the ground 2 months.

Let the plants grow further in medium size pots before planting them in the ground. Bird netting is another good idea.

Just got back in from watering my plants and getting some cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce for a salad. Found that 2 stalks of 1 and another stalk of another of my tomatoe plants had their leaves eaten also. I looked around the two plants, under leaves and all and could find the culprit.

It is obvious that something has eaten the leaves and they really did a number on my plants.

I also found three more of them litle green worms on the leaves of my lettuce.

Argh!!!!!!

This time I clipped them in half with my shear.

I couldn't find the culprit smong my tomato plants.

Wil

Hornworms are VERY hard to spot! Try dawn and dusk when they are up feeding...

A black light helps too. Makes their stripes glow. :-)

True but they didn't fall from the sky 3" long. :-) You got to catch those suckers before they reach a size were they can do such horrific damage. We're always on the lookout for evidence of hornworms.

it could be flea beetles

But they grow so bloody fast! ;-) One night they are a pinprick and I swear in 24 hours, they ARE 3" long!

Seems that way anyhoo.

Many people swear by BT. It's supposed to be non-toxic to humans and other animals. Just larval insects.

It all depends on where you are.

Our tomatoes have been in since early June... which is about two months. (London Ontario Canada)

Canada has a variety of climates, east to west and north to south...

so those caterpillars ain't so cute no mo ;)

uh ha

Way to go Wil! your developing a gardeners spine :)

"Omelet" wrote

Yes they are. Their fresh droppings also illuminate the trail. They're so large and prolific you swear you'll need a big stick to tangle with the culprit :(

I find it helpful to have a few 8 foot stakes amongst the tomatoes

Birds perch on them and help me out.

Only once in the past 10 years have I had to tangle with them.

I planted 38 heirlooms, 35 in garden and 3 currant types in pots on the front deck.

Came out a couple of weeks ago, and the leaves were all gone on one of the potted ones. Had 2 tiny tomatoes on it. Found a hornworm trucking along in the pot. Could get in but couldn't get out. Weird that of all the targets I had, that so far, only one sitting alone on a deck was hit. HTH did it find that one?

BTW Just because the leaves are gone, doesn't mean it's dead. Don't throw it out unless you're sure.

After 2 weeks, just noticed last night that the naked one has sprouted new leaves on top starting to shade those 2 tiny tomatoes.

hth, tom