I am so glad I planted marigolds around the tomatoes this year. They worked to keep away the tomato hornworm. Though I did see signs of that pest on my eggplants once I think the birds must have eaten them. The marigolds I planted were very tall and fell over into the pathways. I think I will try a shorter variety next year and hope they work as well.
The other helper is my compost bin. I filled it even fuller than this photo shows when I was done yesterday. In fact the zucchini plants had to be dragged to my perennial garden bin and stuffed in there. I like that I'm making compost that will go right back into my beds.
I found this garden helper as I removed the tomato plants. He was eating something when I first spied him. He was content to sit and watch me remove all the plants around him then hopped off.
This garden pest is being joined by other stink bugs, but the invasive species variety. They are all over my screened porch both inside and out. I think I saw evidence of their damage on some of my tomatoes and peppers. Unfortunately they don't seem bothered by the marigolds and the toad doesn't seem to eat them.
