Curly Top: The Plant That Stops Dead While Its Neighbors Grow On
Curly Top is caused by Beet Curly Top Virus, carried by the beet leafhopper, and it does exactly what the name suggests: a tomato plant that was growing…
Tomato Hornworm: You Find the Droppings Before You Find the Caterpillar
If you’re staring at a tomato plant that’s lost half its leaves overnight and finding dark, crumbly pellets scattered on the mulch below, you’re looking…
Flea Beetles: Shot-Holes Punched Through Young Tomato Leaves
Tiny round holes scattered across the leaf surface, like someone took a hole punch to it in a dozen random spots, mean flea beetles.
Thrips on Tomatoes: Silvery Streaks, and the Virus They Carry
Silvery or bronze patches on tomato leaves, tiny black flecks scattered across them, and streaked or scarred fruit usually mean thrips.
Aphids on Tomatoes: Sticky Leaves Before You See the Insect
Sticky, shiny leaves on a tomato plant, especially near the growing tips, are almost always the first sign of an aphid colony, not the aphids themselves.
Anthracnose on Tomatoes: Sunken Circles That Only Show on Ripe Fruit
Anthracnose on tomatoes shows up as small, sunken, water-soaked circles on ripe or nearly ripe fruit, often developing a faint target pattern as they age.
Goosegrass: The White Center That Tells It From Crabgrass
A white to silvery patch at the base, right where the leaves fan out from the crown, is the tell. Crabgrass never has it.
Yellow Woodsorrel: Clover-Shaped Leaves and Seed Pods That Explode
Those clover-look-alike leaves with the yellow flowers and the seed pods that snap open at a touch are almost certainly yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis…
Speedwell: The Low Mat With Heart-Shaped Seed Pods
Speedwell is a low, mat-forming weed in the genus Veronica, easy to spot once you know the tell: tiny four-petaled flowers, usually blue or lilac with…
Purslane: The Succulent That Regrows From a Single Broken Fragment
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a low, fleshy summer weed that spreads fast across thin or disturbed turf, and the reason it’s so hard to shake is right…