Watch My Food Grow ~ A South Florida Raised Vegetable Garden

Florida Backyard Raised Vegetable Garden

What is Eating My Backyard Garden Tomatoes

February 24th, 2009 by Matthew Steinhoff

What is eating my tomatoes?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

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  • I found the villain yesterday: a very healthy 41/2” long 1/2 wide worm! He’s actually quite pretty, leaf green with white and black triangles all along body, two voracious- looking black teeth
    black and white claws that match body design on each segment!
    Despite markings, he was well camouflaged lying along a branch of the tomato bush.
    Good hunting to all!