I'm watering my next door neighbor's potted plants for a few days while they're out of town. One of her tomatoes had shrunk considerably overnight, and I easily found the tobacco hornworm--I've gotten to where I do a running battle with those guys every summer. I squashed this one, though I often toss them in the woods across the road. They become the sphinx moth which is a good pollinator, but kids are a real challenge.

I've decided to make more use of the BT this summer. I'm very careful where I use it, and I don't spray it, but I've used it in a drench over and around my tomatoes. Fingers crossed this will keep the hornworms out. I'm also an old hand at spotting the damage of lacebugs on my eggplants, and have removed several little clusters already. This year I am breaking off the leaves they attack and tossing them into a layer in the compost. If I miss a few with my masking tape removal method when they're aphid-sized, or don't get all of the eggs, they can grow and do more mischief. More surgery, fewer bandaids this year.

SRS