How long does it take before a caterpillar leaves a tomato plant

Simone_in_Wiltshire

I feel exhausted from this summer and would like to take out the tomato plants if there were not the caterpillars.
I have harvested around 20kg so far, and the next 3 or 4kg will be picked today.
The rest should stay for the caterpillars.
Normally, I would take out the plants so or so mid September, but with the hosepipe ban now, and honestly, we can't see any more tomatoes. I don't want to waste water for something that goes sooner or later so or so.

Thanks in advance

tui34

The time it takes for your toe to kiss its backside, I would say!

Dovefromabove

What sort of caterpillar?  Never had caterpillars on our tomatoes. 

wild edges

The Bright-line Brown-eye moth caterpillar is the only one I know that likes tomatoes. There could be others though.

Simone_in_Wiltshire

Indeed, there is the brown eye but also green one (or more than one, but not as many as last year)

Loxley

You could pull them up and heel them in somewhere out of sight. Just water them in and let them get on with it.

Simone_in_Wiltshire

Hi to all 
working time is finally over after 10 hours and the long weekend is in front of us. 

Background for my question was that I can find many entries about the brown eye moth and caterpillar but no website says how long it takes to be a caterpillar and then a larvae and finally a moth. 

I will go through my tomato plant jungle and have look for larvae and caterpillars. 

I also found the information that they normally lay the eggs in May/June but the ones in September/October are a second batch. 

nutcutlet

I would agree with Loxley

Simone_in_Wiltshire

Thanks @nutcutlet, for your opinion. I’m back from the garden and took the last toms. I discovered one brown eye. 

@Loxley I will take them out over the weekend and take care that the caterpillars survive.