Can I still save it if it is needing shade cloth and/or more fertilizer? The thing is, the potting soil is brand new and it has fertilizer in it--but in that pot, about 25% of it is desert sand (it is red and what they call "sweet sand" over here) the color of the last two photos are the most accurate (it is in the shade)

Hi! I also agree! Thank you for your help. I checked out pix on the web.... and I believe you both re 100% right! I just need to figure out if it will survive the winter here.... one site said that it would... it would just die back to the ground and then come back next year.... and another said that it would just up and die period. Will continue to research.... have a while before it will get chilly enough to worry about it... and I will keep it in the pot until I know for sure! Thanks again!

Miss Larna (Mr Huck's wife) made a few phone calls for me today and told me that the variety from upstate is Mountain Pride or Piedmont, and the locally grown tomato is Flora Dade. I'm going to have to find out more about these guys. I know Mountain Pride and Piedmont are hybrids, but I'm not sure if Flora Dade is or not. If it's an OP, I'm going to have to hunt some seed down. Off to go finish up the last batch of the strawberry preserves Miss Larna asked me to put up for her. Have a good day!

Organic - BT, spinosad. Diatomaceous Earth could work but require reapplication. Netting/mesh around the vegetables. If organic doesn't matter, go get a pesticide/insecticide and follow the directions exactly.