Hello everybody.

Every evening I close the window and door to my greenhouse after watering up, and every morning when I return, several of the (usually ripened) tomatoes on the lowest stems have been half eaten by some sort of mini-critter with a large appetite and sharp teeth.

Whatever it is seems to be able to reach upto five or six inches high from the compost level in the pot, and can shift several tomato halves in one sitting.

What baffles me is that the greenhouse is sealed. I can see only the tiniest gaps at the base where anything could possibly get in. Whatever it is is certainly not in there during the daytime - I check every day, and the greenhouse is very small.

This has happened every single night now for the past three weeks at least and it's bugging me like crazy now.

Any suggestions or similar experiences?

Thanks!

On Aug 27, 1:27 pm, HarveyMushman HarveyMushman.
wrote:
Hello everybody.

Every evening I close the window and door to my greenhouse after
watering up, and every morning when I return, several of the (usually
ripened) tomatoes on the lowest stems have been half eaten by some sort
of mini-critter with a large appetite and sharp teeth.

Whatever it is seems to be able to reach upto five or six inches high
from the compost level in the pot, and can shift several tomato halves
in one sitting.

What baffles me is that the greenhouse is sealed. I can see only the
tiniest gaps at the base where anything could possibly get in. Whatever
it is is certainly not in there during the daytime - I check every day,
and the greenhouse is very small.

This has happened every single night now for the past three weeks at
least and it's bugging me like crazy now.

Any suggestions or similar experiences?

Thanks!

--
HarveyMushman

Any chance you trapped something in there when you set up the
greenhouse? Or, something slipped in when you had the door open? Six
inches is pretty high for a mouse, but a field mouse can slip through
a hole the diameter of a pencil... so that would be my vote for a
critter that comes and goes as it wishes. But a six-inch field mouse?
Is there a nuclear power plant nearby?

I've seen it suggested on other forums or threads that rodents
probably won't each tomatoes if there is enough water around to drink.
So, maybe leaving a low dish of water near the base of your greenhouse
would satisfy your pest and stop the tomato-mauling.

I posted a blog entry about harvesting tomatoes that might protect
your fruits even if you never figure out what's eating them. In a
controlled greenhouse environment, there should be no need to take my
approach (except to beat rodents), but please check it out and let me
know what you think:

http://www.smallkitchengarden.net/sm...omatoes-a-mess

Good luck.

Thanks for taking the time to reply - sorry I didn't get your name.

The greenhouse has been there for 30 years or more and is c. 5' x 6'. Just big enough for one man to stand and about eight tomato plants. I have checked and re-checked and apart from there being nowhere for an animal to hide, I simply cannot find anything but the tiniest of gaps around the base and none anywhere else.

I have measured the distance from the compost to the very top of the highest tomato which has been chewed (almost stripped, in fact), right upto the stem. It is just over six inches - which means that fully stretched on its hind legs this thing must be big - that is only to its teeth, of course.

And yet it comes every night without fail. I have started leaving bread and peanut butter out for it, and that all disappears. He still has a tomato or two as a snack, but not as many as before. I have absolutely no idea how this thing is getting in and out.

Tonight I intend to set a humane trap baited with the bread and peanut.

I'll see what happens and let you know.

Thanks again.

By the way, how do you access your own articles again once you've posted them?

I can't figure it out and it took me ages last time just to check if anyone had replied.

Advice appreciated.

Cheers.