What's eating my amish paste tomato?

Amish Paste Tomato, a prolific paste variety, is most threatened by tomato hornworms, which can strip stems overnight. Aphids colonize tender growth, and in wet summers slugs damage fruit touching the soil. Deer are a serious garden threat wherever present. Bt spray, netting, and mulching reduce the main risks.

Sudden mass defoliation; large green caterpillars blend with stems; black frass droppings on leaves Hand-pick at dusk or dawn; Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray; leave larvae bearing white parasitoid cocoons alone

Curled, sticky leaves; honeydew on fruit attracts ants and sooty mould Insecticidal soap spray; introduce or encourage aphid predators; remove heavily infested shoot tips

Holes chewed into fruit resting on or near the soil; slime trails as evidence Mulch to keep fruit off soil; iron phosphate pellets; hand-pick after dark

Entire plant bitten off at browsing height; jagged stem stubs; catastrophic overnight loss Sturdy deer fence at least 1.8 m (6 ft) tall; motion-activated deterrents