http://eggplant333.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] eggplant333.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] davis_square2010-08-04 07:58 pm
Entry tags:

Who's eating my tomatoes?

Dearest Wise Ones of DSLJ,

I have a few tomato plants in large pots growing in my yard, which is on the corner of a busy street outside of Davis. I live in a first floor apartment, so this is the most convenient and sunniest place to keep my plants. In the past few weeks, as some of my very first ripe tomatoes have started to appear, I've noticed that they seem to be disappearing at a faster rate than I'm picking them. This makes me sad/annoyed, since I'm new to growing veggies and am ecstatic every time a little cherry tomato looks ready for me to pick.

I'm pretty sure it's not an animal that's snacking on my veggies, since there are never any little bits left behind or bite marks on other tomatoes. They're popped off quite efficiently, as I would do myself.

What should I do? There's not really another place where I could keep them. I'm thinking of just putting a note outside next to the pots, something to the effect of, 'I know you're eating my tomatoes, and that really sucks since I put so much effort into growing them and now can't even enjoy eating them. I'll take a photo of you the next time I see you.' Any other ideas? If it's somebody hungry who doesn't have anything else to eat, I'd feel less annoyed of course, but they're little cherry tomatoes so even a handful (which would take my plants weeks to produce, at this point) would hardly be a satisfying snack.

What do you think?
Thanks.
ifotismeni: (Default)

[personal profile] ifotismeni 2010-08-05 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
chicken wire over the plants, maybe?
ext_174465: (Default)

[identity profile] perspicuity.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
spray them with hot sauce :)

well, that works for SOME animals ;)

#
ext_12411: (northwest)

[identity profile] theodosia.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
Get some tall stakes and the kind of cheap netting meant to keep off squirrels? If you make the tomatoes harder to casually grab, you may finally get to keep some....

Tomato stealer

[identity profile] lovefourpaws.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
My husband thinks I'm paranoid, but I said the same thing about our tomatoes!! We live right outside of the square and aren't exactly on a main corner, but our ripe tomatoes have been disappearing. Our plants are in our (shared) backyard, though, which narrows down the list of potential suspects. I know that an animal hasn't been swiping them because they've been cleanly plucked with no bite marks, seeds, or any remnants of the fruit nearby. None of the unripe food has been taken and none of the surrounding veggies have been touched. I don't know it says about the world today, but the fact that someone would actually steal a ripe tomato from another person's plant is just sad. And pathetic...

This is Just to Say

[identity profile] surrealestate.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
I have eaten
the tomatoes
that were in
the yard

and which
you were probably
saving
for bruschetta

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so ripe

[identity profile] anotherjen.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
I think posting a sign saying "Please don't eat my tomatoes" would be enough to get thoughtless people to pause.

[identity profile] firstfrost.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
While I do not doubt that the world has tomato-stealing human villains in it, I will note that Somerville has highly evolved squirrels who are capable of stealing entire light bulbs from a string of mini-Christmas lights on the back porch, so I would not put it past them to be able to steal a whole grape tomato at a time.

[identity profile] jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I have a private backyard with a fence and I'm having the same problem (whole cherry tomatoes disappearing, but only the ripe ones, not the green ones). I suspect animals. Chicken wire helped some (at least kept things from nibbling the whole plant down to the nub), but not enough. I put up bird netting today and hope that will stop them.
Edited 2010-08-05 03:32 (UTC)

[identity profile] nomacmac.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't rule out squirrels. My Asian pear trees have no fruit left on them. Several times I saw squirrels sitting on my fence eating them, but have never found traces of them on the ground or any evidence in the trees that they were snatched by critters.

[identity profile] motive-nuance.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
I'd expect a mild physical barrier to work better than a sign. A simpler way that would be more effective than a sign alone woud be the same sign with a photo of a face (looking directly at the camera) attached above it at roughly eye level.

[identity profile] kjc.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
I'd suggest netting on top AND pot shards sticking up.

If you stick large chunks of broken pots or broken glass into your pots so the pointy bits are sticking up, it becomes very difficult for the squirrels to climb into the pots and do their dirty deeds. This has helped me with my figs (my fig tree is small & in a big pot).

You could also make an awesome quick & dirty scarecrow out of some dowels and used CDs/DVDs. Hang them from string or fishing line & the wind will move them & the reflections will help startle/keep away many birds.
squirrelitude: (Default)

[personal profile] squirrelitude 2010-08-05 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Raccoons have the motive and the opportunity. If they're the culprits, god help you -- raccoons are devilishly smart and dexterous, and your best bet would be a webcam (for capturing cute videos of them.)

ninja scavengers

[identity profile] davelew.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 12:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I really think you are underestimating the number, voraciousness, and fastidiousness of Somerville's wild scavengers. I would not expect there to any remnants of fruit after the animals were done with it.

For example, there was a box of Fruit Loops emptied next to the trash can at the intersection of Willow Ave and the bike path this morning, as well as a serving of onion rings nearby on the other side of the path. I doubt there will be traces of either in 48 hours. There will be no mess, nothing left over, and no incriminating bite marks, but everything will be gone.

[identity profile] 808.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
As others have said, don't rule out the animals. They are expert fruit pickers with millions of years of evolution built into their tiny hands and teeth. They can easily take food without damaging the plant and they usually don't eat it nearby (it attracts predators, who know where to hang out...). I used to have a pear tree outside my window at work and every fall I'd watch the pears mature and then, POOF, in a couple of days hundreds of pairs would vanish in the hands of squirrels. It was pretty cool to watch.

Thirsty squirrels?

[identity profile] obie119.livejournal.com 2010-08-05 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Another vote for animals - I'm on the Arlington gardeners list and this has been discussed recently - one of the ideas is that it's been so dry that the little squirrels are thirsty and are taking the tomatoes mainly to have liquids. Apparently putting out a little dish of water works wonders. And it can't hurt, really. Good luck!