By C.L. Fornari

     The winter moth caterpillar was brought to North America sometime after 1950 but wasn’t a major problem until recently.  In the past few years areas of eastern Massachusetts have experienced a great deal of damage from this pest, and it has been found in Rhode Island, parts of Connecticut and Long Island. 

     From late November through early January the male winter moths fly on warmer evenings, looking for the females who wait at the base of trees.  The females lay their eggs in the trees and the larvae hatch when the temperatures average around 55 degrees. 

     Winter moth caterpillars eat the foliage of many deciduous plants but cherries, apples, blueberries, maples, oaks, ash, blueberries and roses are especially vulnerable to damage. 

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By C.L. Fornari

     "I had these really beautiful tomatoes,” the caller told me, “but when I went to pick them there was a black scab on the bottom. What is this, and can I still eat the tomatoes?” 

     This was a typical August call into GardenLine, my weekly radio program. At one time or another most gardeners will have a similar experience. The dark spot is a condition called "blossom-end rot." It is the result of insufficient calcium in the developing fruit, but the cause is seldom lack of calcium in the soil. The problem usually occurs because the plant can't absorb calcium because something has disturbed the roots.

     Long periods where the soil is either too wet or too dry will cause blossom-end rot. If the roots have dried or are waterlogged, they can't take up the calcium that the plant needs to produce perfect fruit. Excessive fluctuations in soil moisture can also result in that ugly brown scab. Tomatoes grown in containers that are allowed to get dry before being soaked may also develop blossom-end rot.

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