Help please!

[pinklizzy]

Experienced gardeners! I need some help
My 'garden' is doing really well, my nasturtium's have exploded everywhere and are now flowering After not doing very much and looking a bit pathetic, my dwarf beans are starting to flower although I'm still not convinced they will produce anything!
The main query I have is about my tomatoes, they have about 15 flowers now-little yellow ones. I belatedly got a book from the library which suggested that bottom shoots should be removed? As I didn't realise I should be doing this, my plants are now really bushy. Will this cause a problem with them producing any fruit?
I also realised that one of my nasturtium plants is covered in caterpillars which are nibbling through the leaves Are they likely to prefer just one type of plant or will they eat my tomato plants?
Any help gratefully received! I will try and take some more photos this week.

[dandysmom]

If the beans are getting enough sun to flower they're probably going to have beans. As to the tomato shoots, I've read that also but have never bothered removing them, and have a bountiful harvest of tomatoes ... been growing them for years successfully.

Can't say about the caterpillars. I don't know if you have the same tomato hornworm there that's a dreadful pest here in the States: it's very large, about the size of your little finger when mature, and is bright green. Hand picking is the eco friendly solution; usually not that many on a plant. I think they only feed on tomatoes though. I suspect the nasturtium one isn't going to bother the tomatoes...most larvae have specific host plants. You might take a pic of them and I'll have a look and see what I can find on line.

[pinklizzy]

Thanks Eileen!
I'm pleased you think my beans might produce something! They are in a position which gets full sun at the moment from about 10am. I'll try and get a photo of the caterpillars tomorrow, hopefully they only like to eat nasturtium!

[angieh]

I've always removed the axial shoots on tomatoes, but that's just what I was always told to do. It CAN depend on the variety, as some tomatoes are "bushy"! It can affect the ripening of the tomatoes if too much energy goes into producing greenery and not enough into fruit production, especially as we have such a short season. As they are outside, I would "limit" the plants to 3 trusses - that's three of the little spires of flowers and once your first baby tomatoes are about the size of peas, you would do well to feed your plants every other water with some tomato food (eg. Tomorite).

I'd get rid of those caterpillars either by picking them off and feeding them to the birds or by spraying with a little washing up liquid in a lot of water. They won't do any good and they are probably Cabbage White - the most common, sort of dark green with a yellow stripe along their bodies. They eat anything and could move onto your beans next.

Look forward to seeing photos Liz - it's wonderful that you have managed to get stuff growing in the car park.

[pinklizzy]

I think they might be cabbage white caterpillars Angie from your description-I have to say I'm not very keen on trying to get rid of them though, I feel a bit sorry for them! Do you think I could 'transplant' them to the bushes along the side of the canal?
I have been feeding my tomatoes with tomorite, well since yesterday anyway and they are growing in a special tomatoe growbag, I hope that will be ok for them. I worry about my plants!

[dandysmom]

I agree, Angie has nailed it! I didn't think of cabbage whites, although they're ubiquitous here, as I'd never been troubled by them. Don't be kindhearted, spray them or pick them off and drop in a jar of kerosene or the like! Here's a pic of the little devils:

[Leesy]

Never really grown tomatoes PL, but we have decided we are going to have a go next year, so I can`t really help you there, but I do agree that you need to get rid of the cabbage white as they will destroy any plant you have.

[pinklizzy]

Ok, I went out and took a few photos before it got too dark

The caterpillars

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My tomatoes, sorry I can't get photobucket to rotate it

[pinklizzy]

Some of my flowers

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[Leesy]

It looks like you will get a lovely crop from the tomatoe plants there are plenty of flowers on, and the flowers look gorgeous. I didn`t see any caterpillars though where we meant too.