Something has been taking bites out of my tomatoes.
I’ll give you a dollar if you can correctly identify what is eating my tomatoes and give me a plan to catch the perpetrator.
I’m not looking for a preventative solution. I want to catch whatever has been attacking my tomatoes. I want vengeance.
List of Low-Probability Animals
We have never seen a raccoon or opossum in our neighborhood, let alone our back yard. In three years, I have seen exactly one squirrel.
We do have a few neighborhood cats who spend time in our back yard (and on our roof) but I have never seen them look at the tomatoes. They are always more interested in the birds hanging out near our bird feeder.
There have not been any footprints in or around our backyard raised vegetable garden.
Birds Possible Vegetable Thieves
Birds are high on my suspect list.
I keep fairly close watch on the live vegetable garden camera. So far, I haven’t seen any birds in the garden but that doesn’t mean they are innocent.
We have a bird feeder in the back yard and it isn’t unusual to see 50 to 75 birds sitting on the power lines behind the house, above the vegetable garden.
Please Identify My Garden Pests and Vegetable Thieves
Once again, if you can identify the animal or insect that is eating my tomatoes, please let me know.
—Farmer Matt
Like you, I have been glued to your webcam trying to scope out the culprit attacking your tomatoes.
I’m not sure, but I thought I saw a white, ghost-like figure in a couple of frames. (If you increased your frame rate, it might be easier to confirm my suspicisions.)
About the only thing that would that white this time of year would be your uncle in St. Louis.
You already know he’s a tool of the MegaMart food industry. I wouldn’t put it past them to slip him down here in the dead of night to nip at your tomatoes to discourage home gardeners.
Let’s call his neighbors and see if he’s still in St. Louis.
BTW, when my home construction project is finished, I’ll have about a third or half a roll of 30-lb tar paper up for grabs.
Would that make a good base to keep weeds out of your garden when you expand it?
Thanks for thinking of me.
The weed control cloth has to be porous enough to allow water to drain. Otherwise, your raised vegetable garden becomes a swimming pool. So, I’m afraid that the tar paper will be of no use to me.
—Farmer Matt
NO! to tar paper in the garden. Can you say toxic??
Tar = creosode = poison to humans. Though I had a bricklayer who was remodeling my house in Lauderdale and made chicken in the tarpit. I’ll do a blogpost on that, I think.
Shotgun or ice pick (not to go after your uncle, for the tar paper).
I believe it’s birds. Looks like a beaked creature has been poking your devil fruit. Because you know, tomatoes ARE the fruit of the devil. =)
Matt,
The same critter has been nibbling my tomatoes, all the way down in Coral Springs! It is discriminating; however, choosing only to nibble on fruit 2 days from being picked. I’ll be watching your camera, too, in the future. I pitched more last season than we put on the table. Planted 3 upside down in 5 gal buckets under the pool screen. Safe from the enemy!
FYI – My tomato plants are way high up in a planter and I have the same teltale evidence – Has to be a bird because those are the only critters who could be getting at my tomatoes and my damage looks EXACTLY like yours . Can you say “beebee gun?”