Hey fellow gardeners! Have you ever picked what looked like a perfect tomato, only to find mysterious holes in it? I feel your pain! As someone who’s battled these frustrating holes in my tomato garden, I’m here to share everything I’ve learned about what causes them and how to protect your precious harvest.
The Main Culprit: Tomato Fruitworms
The biggest troublemaker when it comes to holes in tomatoes is the tomato fruitworm These sneaky pests (also known as corn earworms or armyworms) are actually caterpillars that love munching on both tomato leaves and fruits
How to Spot a Tomato Fruitworm:
- Length: 1.5 to 2 inches long
- Colors: Can be yellow, green, or reddish-brown
- Distinctive features: Dark bumps on their backs and stripes along their body
- Behavior: They’re actually cannibalistic and don’t play nice with each other!
The Damage They Cause
When these pests attack your tomatoes, you’ll notice:
- Small holes in the fruits
- Tunneling through tomatoes
- Holes in leaves
- Damage to stems
- Interior rot and decay
❗ Important Never eat tomatoes with holes in them – they’re not safe for consumption!
Prevention and Control Methods
Natural Solutions:
- Neem Oil: Apply weekly and after rain
- Diatomaceous Earth (DE): Sprinkle around plants and on leaves
- Hand-picking: Remove eggs and larvae manually
- Row Covers: Prevent moths from laying eggs
- Companion Planting: Plant these helpful neighbors:
- Parsley
- Dill
- Asters
- Daisies
- Alfalfa
Beneficial Insects
Attract these natural predators to your garden:
- Lacewings
- Damsel Bugs
- Minute Pirate Bugs
- Big-Eyed Bugs
- Parasitic Wasps
Tips for a Healthy Tomato Garden
- Daily Inspection: Check your plants every day for signs of pest activity
- Smart Placement: Keep tomatoes away from corn (fruitworms love both!)
- Early Protection: Cover seedlings with row covers before pest season starts
- Regular Maintenance: Remove affected fruits immediately
Treatment Options
If you spot an infestation here’s what you can do
Organic Solutions:
-
B.T. (Bacillus thuringiensis)
- Apply in afternoon/evening
- Reapply after rain
- Safe for most beneficial insects
-
Spinosad
- Effective against fruitworms
- Don’t use on blooming plants (toxic to bees)
- Best for determinate tomatoes
Early Warning Signs
Keep an eye out for:
- Small pinhole-sized damage
- Eggs on leaves (they’re tiny and off-white)
- Black droppings near holes
- Wilting leaves
- Unexplained fruit damage
My Personal Tips
I’ve learned through trial and error that prevention is way better than cure. Here’s what works best in my garden:
- I always start with row covers early in the season
- Weekly neem oil applications are a must
- I’ve had great success with companion planting, especially with marigolds
- Daily morning inspections help catch problems early
Remember y’all, growing perfect tomatoes takes patience and vigilance. Don’t get discouraged if you spot some holes – it happens to the best of us! Just stay on top of your prevention game and you’ll be enjoying juicy, hole-free tomatoes in no time.
Have you dealt with holes in your tomatoes? What worked best for you? Share your experiences in the comments below!
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Find more garden information
Why are there water-soaked lesions on my tomato plant?
Water-soaked patches and lesions on stems, foliage and fruit are signs of late blight. Outbreaks spread quickly under favorable conditions because the pathogen can produce huge numbers of wind-dispersed spores. Track outbreaks on the map at usablight.org. When late blight is detected in your region, consider preventative spraying with Actinovate or Copper Fungicide.
Read on and learn more about late blight here.
Holes in Tomatoes? Two causes
FAQ
What’s making holes in your tomatoes?
There’s nothing more infuriating than waiting for a tomato to ripen so you can pluck it from the vine only to find holes in your fruit. You can almost forgive the garden pest that eats an entire tomato, but those that poke–or burrow–a hole and move onto the next tomato can leave you feeling murderous.
Why does my tomato have craters & holes?
Weird name, I know. But it can cause deformities and holes in the tomato flesh. If you’re noticing strange scarring, craters, or holes that look more like growth defects than bite marks, take a look into catfacing on tomatoes. It’s surprisingly common and usually caused by cold temps during flowering.
Why are my Tomatoes rotting?
The most obvious problem that these pests cause are small holes in tomatoes. There might be so many holes that the tomato splits open, or if you cut into it, you might find tunneling through the tomatoes. Sometimes, you might find the worms inside of the tomatoes still. The worms leave a hollow space instead of the fruit.
Why are there pinprick holes in my Tomatoes?
These minuscule menaces are often responsible for the pinprick holes in your tomatoes. Flea beetles are known for their jumping prowess and voracious appetite for tomato leaves. Spider mites are stealthy web-spinners that suck the life out of your plants. Aphids are sap-sucking insects that can quickly infest your tomato garden.
Why do tomatoes ripen if worms eat them?
The plant still causes the fruit to ripen as the pest destroys it. Aside from finding tiny holes in my tomatoes, fruit worms also cause holes in the tomato leaves. This might be harder to spot at first because the holes are little and less obvious. Usually, tomato fruitworm damage starts first in the leaves until the fruit starts to develop.
Can you eat tomatoes with holes in them?
It’s tempting to eat the tomatoes with holes in them still; no one wants to waste perfectly good tomatoes! However, it’s not safe to eat tomatoes with holes. Several methods effectively remove and get rid of tomato fruitworms in your garden. I prefer using only organic methods in my vegetable garden.