Share a garden with a neighbor? How would you handle this?

[Paper Roses]

A wonderful young man who lives near has a great yard for a garden. I have no yard and each year I grow tomatoes in pots and stick some basil in with the flowers.

This year we decided to join efforts. I would buy flats and seeds and we'd both take care of what grows. he contributed too.

So far it has been great, we've shared beans, lettuce, zucchini, onions and a few other things.

One of my jobs has been to keep after the suckers on the tomatoes. Keep them tied up and weed free.
A couple of days ago, doing my job, I noticed chewed off stems and blossoms. I know what was going on and sure enough, without really looking, I saw 3 tomato horn worms. Now, I'm not afraid of much, just snakes and these tomato worms. I'm outta there.

I have sprayed my few pots with a safe insecticide. I offered to do it for the 14 plants growing in his yard. He said he'd rather not. I can appreciate that but I know the crop will be far less and I'm not going over there to tie off the now drooping long stems. Call me chicken....I can't even stand to think about them.

I don't want him to think I'm not doing my fair share but geeze, I can't.

[beac]

1. Hornworms utterly gross me out as well.

I didn't have ANY last year, so imagine my surprise to find over TWO DOZEN on a small planting of jasmine scented nicotiana (like a 1.5x1.5 plot!). Nicotiana is in the tobacco family and apparently hornworms like tobacco too. Ugh.

I had previously found a lone worm on one tomato plant and afterward found two on another, but they really seemed to concentrate their efforts on the poor nicotiana. (Could be a good "trap" crop for them in future years?)

I followed bvar's method of just clipping off the whole stem/leaf/whatever they were clinging too but, since I don't have hungry chickens, I just dropped the whole shebang in a bucket of soapy water.

Is it wrong that I kind of like watching them drown? (Bear in mind that they basically denuded my flowers in a single day!)

Have you explained your fear to the neighbor? As long as you provide the method & materials(clip, drown in bucket), he might be willing to be the actual executioner.

[NJCher]

4. LOL

I'm afraid I'm with hippywife on this one. Can't be a wuss and be a gardener!

Hey, what about wearing vinyl gloves?

And also you should tell him of your aversion, at the very least.

Also, if he doesn't do anything about his, they might just be back for yours.

Anyway, on another topic, I wanted to tell you I extended my garden to someone this year. He just grows tomatoes in pots but it's the first year he's ever gardened and he is so thrilled with the results. He is like a Mother Hen with his tomatoes.

I remember the day he got his first red tomato. He stood there in the garden and ate it right on the spot. He just beamed.

I am really getting a kick out of it.


Cher

[FedUpWithIt All]

2. Why not tell him that you have an issue with the worms?

I am sure he would rather know this so he can remove them before the plants are completely destroyed. Tell him that you will continue to do the other tasks.

[hippywife]

3. All you have to do

is fill a container with water, get a stick and use it to knock the hornworms into the container. You can't be a wuss about these things if you are going to garden, and especially if you are cooperating with someone else with one. :hi:

[japple]

5. I can't stand hornworms. I use kitchen tongs to remove them from the

tomato vines, then drown them in a bucket of water--it takes awhile. Then I put them on my bird feeder for the birds to fight over.

[WhiteTara]

6. as for the horn worms

I got the BEST advice on how to handle them. Get your pruning snips and cut off below the nasty little bugger and then DEATH TO SMOOCHIE! I use a big rock and throw it and then run. But leave off the poison (even it it is "Safe") Or call the neighbor...isn't that what he and his land are for? HELP!
:hug: I am nauseated by them too.