Just like last year, I planted a bunch o’ tomatoes in the garden in the back yard. Unlike last year, my tomatoes this year came under attack (ATTACK I say!) by bugs. First it was worms (tomato worms? Hornworms? I don’t know. Icky worms). Then came the stinkbugs. All my tomatoes were being eaten and rotting before they even started to ripen and I hadn’t gotten a single tomato for me to eat.
I wanted to evict the bugs, for sure, but I didn’t want to do it with a bunch of chemicals — sort of defeats a large part of the purpose of growing them in the back yard, you know?
Enter: cornstarch. Seriously! Now my garden looks like this:
I use a powdered sugar shaker full of cornstarch to cover the leaves, the tomatoes, and the ground around them. The plants look ridiculous, sure, but guess what? The tomatoes are MINE again!
I’m not sure exactly why this works, honestly — I don’t know if it kills off the bugs or if it just keeps them away; as long as I’m the only one eating the tomatoes, I’m good. It even deters Vinny the squirrel a bit which is an unexpected bonus. A quick wash in the kitchen sink removes all the cornstarch and I’m good to go. Tomato sandwiches for everyone! 
So glad to know this trick is also keeping squirrels away!! That has been my big problem the past couple of years, so I finally gave up and didn’t plant any tomatoes this year. Next year I will, and I will use this tip!
My! I learn something new every day. Thank you for this handy, inexpensive, eco friendly tip. I love squirrels like I love home-grown veggies. This will come in handy.
This is such a great tip! I sprinkled my tomato plant and herbs with cornstarch on your suggestion and hooray no more worms gnawing on my plants! It is fantastic! My deck looks a little crazy covered in powder, but it works!
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You can also plant marigolds by your tomatoes to keep the bugs away.
Who knew?!? I had hornworms at the end of the season last year, if they show their ugly heads again I’m dusting them ASAP! Great tip, thanks!!
Awesome! I am going to try this! I got chipmunks, squirrels and fire ants all eating my tomatoes. They don’t eat basil, mint or peppers though, just my tomatoes. Tomorrow, 1st stop in the grocery store, Corn Starch!
I have tried the cornstarch now, but I’ve got a bad aphid (or maybe stink bug?) problem and now the grasshoppers have showed up. At first it was just on one plant and I was happy to let them have that one and leave the others alone, but now they all have it, even with the cornstarch. Oh well, I had a good run at the beginning of the season. Next year, I’ll start with the cornstarch before the bugs even hit and keep re-applying! Here’s hoping!
Re-applying is definitely key! I have to head back out there after it rains (you know, both times it rained this summer) and cover them again or the stinkbugs are back way too soon. Here’s hoping for bug-free tomatoes for all of us next year!