Plant protector find.

Here are some plant protectors we bought at Steins. We have been having the robins trying to eat our tomatoes. :-x Our plants are struggling this year and our tomatoes a few and far between. Then when you see one ripening and go to pick it. You find it all full of peck marks. Cant even bring it in to finish ripening as the peck hole rot. :-x
Then we spotted these at Steins and they where on sale. Yippy! Now we are getting tomatoes but our plants have been attacked by some sort of blight and are dying. :'( They get black spots and the leaves dry up and fall off. We have several naked tomato plants in the garden.


Small Protector. 22" x 22" ( photo / image / picture from Tooty2shoes's Garden )






30" x 30" plant protector. ( photo / image / picture from Tooty2shoes's Garden )

 

Eileen my hubby actually spotted them when we where pursuing Steins sale tent. I thought the design was really neat also. So far so good. No more beak marks. But those naked plants are so sad looking.

 

I like that design also. Looks easy to use too... not like hassling with that netting stuff.

 

Tooty, unfortunately your tomatoes probably have the dreaded blight or another fungal disease. There probably isn't much you can do for the plant at this point other than maybe pick any nice green tomatoes and set them on a table away from direct sun to let them ripen. After you pick them rinse them with a vinegar solution to kill off any mold or fungal spores on the fruit.

 

Chery I try not to use that netting stuff if I don't have to. It attacks you. These TPs come with stakes you can anchor them with. But I lest the bag with the stakes tied to the top and that held them down really good. Otherwise you would always have to pull out the stakes when you wanted to pick your veggies.

Carolyn: Ya I figured it was something like you said. They plants will be coming out this week. We have also had powdery mildew attach our cucumber vines. Got out here yesterday and gave them a good spray with Hydrogen peroxide. Will check on them later to see how they are doing. Thanks for the tip on watching the tomatoes in vinegar.

 

Toots--those plant protectors look great! I could use a few myself. I agree with Carolyn, I think you have blight. I would dispose of those plants off the property & plant your tomatoes in a different spot next year. Good luck!

 

I'll be on the lookout for protectors like the ones that you purchased. I need something to go over my blueberry bushes and those would work perfectly.

 

Cayuga they are working out super. I guess we will have to do just that. I was actually thinking of letting the garden rest next year and only plant a few things in containers.

Electic that was our first thought was for protecting our 2 Blue berry bushes. Then the birds started to attack our tomatoes. Unreal. Gardening is suppose to be fun-not frustrating. But one has to take the good with the bad.

 

Tooty2shoes, I often think of allowing the soil a rest. Great idea.

 

Tooty, are the plant covers expensive?

 

GrowingP It is going to be hard for me to let my garden rest. But it is good for the soil. When I told my hubby that he almost cried. Poor dear. So I told him we could do a few tomato plants in containers as well as a few other things.

The cost on those plant covers was a little pricey I thought even on sale. The smaller ones where $12.00 each, and larger one was $18.00. I would never have bought them at regular price. You might be able to find them cheaper online. I'll have to take a look.

 

Thanks Tooty. That price is beyond my garden needs. If I had only a few plants, but 30 tomato, plus all the other stuff. Still, I plan to make a smaller garden in 2015, so I won't need as many. I wonder if Cabbage moths can find a way inside them?

 

Yes that would be quite an expense with that many tomato plants Yes the cabbage moths probably could get threw the netting. It is more for keeping birds out of your veggies or fruit. Although maybe they couldn't get threw with how their wings stick up.
Next year I will use them on our straw berry plants and then on the blue berries. We have a very small garden. I guess you could call me a hobby gardener. Just enough to freeze and eat over the winter. I'm sure with that many tomatoes you can all sorts of good stuff. I am way to lazy to do that. The only thing I did can 2 years ago where sweet pickles. We are still eating them.
I love to blanch veggies and then freeze them. Oh well I better get on with the days chores.