Darn tomato eating critters!

[Backyard Buddies]

It happened last year and it's happening again! I have grown veggies here for 15 years, but this past year *something* took nibbles out of nearly ever tomato as it ripened. They don't ever eat the whole thing and leave pretty much nothing untouched. I think it may be tree rats, but I'm not sure.

Here's a picture of one they got the other day (and this one isn't even ripe!)

These are Stupice tomatoes, and aren't all that big. They're said to be only a couple of ounces when ripe.

Last year I tried a zillion things to beat them, but they won. I'm determined not to face this again and hope that you all will have some ideas. Last year I tried netting them, and they just ate through the nets.

They strike the tomatoes at night. My peppers were eaten during the day, but I think that might have been the squirrels (the whole pepper would be gone). We also have 'possums, but they've generally left my tomatoes alone, much more preferring the oranges. I trapped a few roof rats last year. I'd hear the traps going off, but the possums had usually eaten (most of) the rats before dawn. Yuck!

Any ideas on how to keep my tomatoes this year?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Try making a garlic/pepper/onion spray and applying that in the evening. This might help.

It usually discourages munching bugs and pests. Blood meal around the garden also discourages a lot of little critters.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Thanks Oakland! Do you have a recipe for the garlic/pepper/onion spray?

What kinds of critters does the blood meal discourage? How should that be applied?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I usually take about 3-4 hot peppers, 1 whole onion and 1 whole head of garlic put it into a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with hot water and let it steep overnight. The next day I add 1/4 cup of castille soap and spray. I guess spraying in the evening is best since the critters are munching on things at night.

Blood meal has worked with squirrels, cats, rabbits, deer, people. Seriously this stuff smells horrible but thankfully it usually only takes one application. You can also get one of those cool motion activated sprinklers. They're kind of pricey but pretty cool. Just remember to turn off the water before you go out to the garden in the morning!

 

[patandchickens]

My mom gets that from squirrels in recent years. The only deterrent she ever found was the neighbor's outdoors-and-hunting-for-a-living cat, and ever since they moved away she's had a lot fewer tomatoes :/

Pat

 

[Tutter]

It does look like a rat.

And, unfortunately, not a lot deters a rat, in my experience, except trapping.

I once had rats eat Chlorox. I don't imagine they survived it, but they did it anyway.

I wouldn't want to deal with them being eaten, either, but trapping still seems like the best, most effective, solution, if you want your fruits.

I'm sorry that you're having this problem. It doesn't hardly seem fair. I hope you can stop them.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Thanks all.

Last year, I tried sprinkling chili powder all over them to no avail. They ate them anyway. Perhaps they thought I was dressing up their treat a little bit!

I hope Oakland's concoction will work where the chili powder didn't. Oakland, do I chop, smash, or do anything else to the items or just toss them in whole?

Have a cat, but she's old, and a scaredy cat. She'd probably run from a rat.

I can try the blood meal, but read somewhere on the Internet that it can draw vultures, dogs, and cats. Is that true?

I also read some suggestions about rags soaked in vinegar. Given that Tutter had Clorox eating rats, I have my concerns that'd work.

Speaking of the chickens, their coop is only 15 or so feet away from the tomatoes. Will any of these methods be a problem for the chickens?

I'm going to get those traps back up on the roof (away from the chickens) and get moving on some of these other ideas.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

If it is a squirrel you can deter them using rubber snakes. The big thing to remember is that you will have to move the snake around or they will get used to it being there. We have hung them off of cages to stop the little bugger from eating things.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Sorry, chop everything up.

If it is rats, then I don't think this would work and they might eat the blood meal.

Trapping is probably the only thing that can work.

None of the methods that I gave should be a problem for chickens. IME.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Thanks again, y'all. I may just try ALL of these things. I swear, other than the Sun Gold tomatoes, and a couple they missed on the other plants, they ate ALL of my tomatoes last year!

I will especially go back to trapping them, but I think I need to pick up another few traps. Every time one of them goes off, within a short while, a 'possum drags off the trap and it's victim which means that the next morning I get to go on a hunt for my trap and whatever the possum didn't finish eating. I'm sorry, but that's just disgusting! In the meantime, I'll whip up some stinky spray, find a rubber snake, soak some rags in vinegar and hang them on stakes, and do a keep-outta-my-garden dance.

Stay tuned.