Squirrels?
 

I'm having a terrible problem with something (squirrels I think) eating at my tomatoes. The worst part about it is that they wait until they are nearly ready to pick before eating at them - plus they don't just target a single tomato - they seem to like a variety and eat small sections out of multiple tomatoes. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep them away? I live in the suburbs so shooting them is not an option :) Thanks

Buy a live trap, bait with peanut butter, then take for a long drive. You'll never stop the little b.....s even netting doesn't work.

I feel for you. I have active red squirrels, grey squirrels and chipmunks are in the area. I never really know which ones to blame. It is terribly frustrating when they get to the half blushing ones and eat off a corner. I still pick the tomato, the flesh will dry off and seal shut, and when it ripens fully, I can still save the seeds. Yesterday my husband saw a woodchuck (groundhog) in the garden, not a surprise as something had been feasting on my cucumber leaves. He took care of that one, so we'll see if that helps the tomatoes as well. The only solution I can think of, is to use some kind of loose gauze or woven netting around the developing clusters of tomatoes as they get to full size greens.

That happens here too. And, you're right ... they wait till the fruit is just about ripe. I've made small fabric bags that I place over the fruit once it shows good color. That has stopped the problem entirely for me.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've had the same problem, but I think with birds. I pulled two this morning that were ripening nicely, one Spudakee and one Ananas Noire, that something started to eat. :x

Sherry, what do you make those bags out of, and how to you "attach" them over the fruit? I've got to do something, because the birds seem to be getting bolder and more aggressive about this.

In my experience, if the fruits are left on the plants, it's probably mice and chipmunks doing the eating. Our mice like to climb the vines and sample as many fruits as they can, just to see if they're ripe enough to suit their delicate palates. Squirrels, on the other hand, tend to clip the fruits and discard them somewhere you're planning to step (especially on stairs to make the show more interesting--sadistic little creatures) after taking a single bite to find out the fruit is not to their liking. They'll take them green or starting to turn or a minute before you're planning to pick them. We've tried bags and Irish Spring soap in a bag (annoyance factor) and other methods, but the only things that really works is population reduction (e.g., relocation).

And to make it worse they seem to prefer my nice sized tomatoes; I have cherry types and would gladly share them but they don't seem to like cherry tomatoes or at least that side of the garden.

[quote=liannenc;179899]Sherry, what do you make those bags out of, and how to you "attach" them over the fruit? I've got to do something, because the birds seem to be getting bolder and more aggressive about this.[/quote]

I make drawstring bags in various sizes using a cheap ($1/yd when I bought it a few years back), loosely woven fabric. I've been using these same bags for I think 3 years now and they hold up well. Most bags are sized to fit a single tomato, but I did make some larger ones to accommodate trusses of small fruits.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v446/Sherry_AK/bag.jpg[/IMG]

Like Beeman said - a nice ride to the park. And true enough, they don't seem to like cherry tomatoes. piegirl

I got rid of over 50 last fall and winter but they seem to have a remarkable ability to repopulate. Of course if those 50 had done their part I probably would be getting absolutely no tomatoes now. When it comes time to set out lettuce and broccoli they are going to massacre my plants this year as they did last year.
I know they look cute but they are still just furry tailed rats when you get right down to it.

:D This:
[URL]http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/other/recipes/2005/10/online-exclusive-squirrel-recipes[/URL]

Squirrel's some good eatin' if prepared properly.
You could even kill two birds with one stone & make a nice squirrel & tomato stew.

I have a Beagle and 2 outdoor cats..:lol: those squirrels don't stand a chance.;)

I have plenty of squirrels and rabbits here and they never touch the garden. The rabbits help mow the grass and the squirrels seem more interested in the Chestnut tree behind the garden. They can pick that tree clean of chestnuts in no time.
I've never seen a squirrel bite into a tomato.

I was wondering if it might be mice. We don't have squirrels nearby-- they cleared all the trees in the area where our house is, so there's no place they could live safely (too many cats allowed to run loose). I think I'll head down to the hardware store this week and get some traps to set at the bases of my plants, and around on the deck. Here's hoping that peanut butter is more tempting to them than my tomatoes.

Those must be some athletic mice, because first they have to scale the bucket the plant is in, then climb the plant itself to get to the fruit! :surprised: