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squirrels in my tomatoes
Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions???
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squirrels in my tomatoes
Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
lead?
dookie "Kathie" wrote in message ... Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
Thank goodness it isn't just my tomatoes! I have 2 tomato
plants on my porch, got one ripe tomato off of one, and then my husband caught a squirrel sitting on the porch railing, eating a green tomato. Within a week, every one of my tomatoes on both plants were gone, and we caught the squirrels a couple of times. I never even got a chance to try and outwit them. Our theory - we have several bird feeders that are set up to outwit the squrrels, we think it's retaliation! Pauline "Kathie" wrote in message ... Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
Looks like I am not alone!even though I don't wish it this way!
I wait for my tomoatoes to become solid red, only to find the next day that squirrel has had her share. So far I have two ripe tomatoes and both were half eaten! And they also love to nibble on the neighboring green ones!! Sorry was of no help, I too am looking for suggestions, BB Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
wrote:
The squirrels in my yard have kept me from getting even ONE lousy peach from my tree for 6 years now, but I've never seen them eating a tomato, and I've brought in LOTS this summer. I've seen shows where those squirels do all kinds of acrobatic tricks to get at the seeds and food on the bird feeder but not at tomatoes...or fruits yet although one did dugged up and half eaten one of the taro root I planted. Not sure how much is LOTs but i got about 15 or so far from the 1 BetterBoy and 1 Park plant that I've got and that's good enough for me. Anyhow, I did noticed that the first few tomatoes was pretty big but the last few was in the smaller sizes - I thought they ran out of fertilizer or the growth went to the plants or something...*shrug* first time gardening for a cityboy. http://display.homeunix.org/garden/tomatoes-july-b.jpg My tomatos haven't been very big this year; something to do with the (beastly) weather, I suppose. But the squirrels leave them alone, and always have. _______________________________________________ Ken Kuzenski AC4RD kuzen001 at acpub .duke .edu _______________________________________________ All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001 |
squirrels in my tomatoes
In article , wrote:
Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) Yes they will eat tomatoes. Watch out when walking under trees. I almost hit by a falling tomato that the furry tailed rat dropped. I don't think he threw it on purpose. Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
I have been using the stinky coleus plants and it seems to keep them away
nicely. I have also heard it called the Pee Off plant, UK interpretation I think. The scientific name is Coleus canina. Jo "Bluebee Sky" wrote in message ... Looks like I am not alone!even though I don't wish it this way! I wait for my tomoatoes to become solid red, only to find the next day that squirrel has had her share. So far I have two ripe tomatoes and both were half eaten! And they also love to nibble on the neighboring green ones!! Sorry was of no help, I too am looking for suggestions, BB Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
are you sure about that ?
*smirk* wrote: In article , wrote: Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) Yes they will eat tomatoes. Watch out when walking under trees. I almost hit by a falling tomato that the furry tailed rat dropped. I don't think he threw it on purpose. Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
hey don't be so sure about him tossin the 'maters - it coulda bee a bitter one! LoL
wrote: Yes they will eat tomatoes. Watch out when walking under trees. I almost hit by a falling tomato that the furry tailed rat dropped. I don't think he threw it on purpose In article , wrote: Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) . Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
hey don't be so sure about him tossin the 'maters - it coulda bee a bitter one! LoL
wrote: Yes they will eat tomatoes. Watch out when walking under trees. I almost hit by a falling tomato that the furry tailed rat dropped. I don't think he threw it on purpose In article , wrote: Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) . Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
hey don't be so sure about him tossin the 'maters - it coulda been a bitter one! LoL
wrote: Yes they will eat tomatoes. Watch out when walking under trees. I almost hit by a falling tomato that the furry tailed rat dropped. I don't think he threw it on purpose In article , wrote: Is it an english squirrel or a local one somewhere here in the triangle ? Just curious - I have no answers. I see some here in my garden but they don't touch any of my tomatoes or others...I didn't know that it's something they do routinely - or maybe they like your tomato variety more than my walmart tomatoes :-) . Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
Maybe the squirrels are thirsty, rather than hungry? You might try putting
out a dish with water for them. I sometimes see squirrels at my birdbath dripper. Anne "Kathie" wrote in message ... Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk |
squirrels in my tomatoes
In article ,
wrote: wrote: The squirrels in my yard have kept me from getting even ONE lousy peach from my tree for 6 years now, but I've never seen them eating a tomato, and I've brought in LOTS this summer. Not sure how much is LOTs but i got about 15 or so far from the 1 BetterBoy and 1 Park plant that I've got and that's good enough for me. Anyhow, I did noticed that the first few tomatoes The fscking birds have been the ones that are getting at our tomatoes; unfortunately, our dog doesn't stay outside all day to chase them and we have no roaming cats (a good thing, I suppose, anyhow) who are wont to chase them either. Now I just lob the pecked-at tomatoes into the trees and hope I'll hit a bird. Cheers KJ -- --- "A photograph is neither taken nor seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you. One must not take photos." Henri Cartier-Bresson www.hungryphotographer.org || www.ibiblio.org/kelly || kelly*unc.edu |
squirrels in my tomatoes
Maybe the squirrels are thirsty, rather than hungry?
Yep, I think that is the case too. Make sure there's fresh water available for the squirrels and I bet they'll leave the tomatoes alone. Holly |
squirrels in my tomatoes
wrote:
Not sure how much is LOTs but i got about 15 or so far .. http://display.homeunix.org/garden/tomatoes-july-b.jpg Your tomato plants are MUCH bushier and healthier looking than mine. "Lots" in my case is about 8-10 a day, on a decent day, from about 10 plants, mostly Better Boy, but also one Patio and one "Druzhba"--a Bulgarian I got at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh, which is now entirely moribund. As I said, though, while I'm getting a reasonable number of 'maters, they're pretty small this year. Did you say you're new to gardening? IMO, there is nothing on earth that tastes better than homegrown tomatos, still warm from the sun and perfectly ripe. Other people start thinking of love, or of baseball, when spring approaches; I start thinking of how soon I can get some tomatos in the ground. :-) _______________________________________________ Ken Kuzenski AC4RD kuzen001 at acpub .duke .edu _______________________________________________ All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001 |
squirrels in my tomatoes
"Bluebee Sky" wrote in message
... Looks like I am not alone!even though I don't wish it this way! I wait for my tomoatoes to become solid red, only to find the next day that squirrel has had her share. So far I have two ripe tomatoes and both were half eaten! And they also love to nibble on the neighboring green ones!! When I was a child my Grandfather and Uncle had a tomato farm. I was taught that you could pick green tomatoes as soon as you could see a pink star on the bottom. Those will continue to ripen. If you pick green tomatoes without a star you might as well make fried green tomatoes as those won't ripen. My hubby was waiting for his tomatoes to get red before picking them but he wasn't getting any that way. Something was eating all of them before they got red. Then I told him you can pick them when they are still green if the pink star is on the bottom. He started doing that and we have had tons this year. I've made lot's of pasta sauce, salsa, tomato dumplings, of course good old "sliced maters". Yum. Just don't have much kitchen counter space these days but that's OK. -- Sandie - Don't forget to take the cats out. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
Sandie Hudson wrote:
that you could pick green tomatoes as soon as you could see a pink star on the bottom. Those will continue to ripen. If you pick green tomatoes I've had trouble with birds getting to my tomatos, if I left them too long, and found the same thing, Sandie--once they're clearly changing color on the bottom, it's OK to bring them in. I'm not having any trouble with birds eating mine, this year--don't know what the difference is, but I'm leaving some on the vines until they're ready to eat, and the birds are leaving them alone. I've made lot's of pasta sauce, salsa, tomato dumplings, of course good old "sliced maters". Yum. Just don't have much kitchen counter space these days Ummm. Homemade pasta sauce. Salsa. drool Another of my favorites is gazpacho with fresh 'maters from the garden-- just incredible. _______________________________________________ Ken Kuzenski AC4RD kuzen001 at acpub .duke .edu _______________________________________________ All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001 |
squirrels in my tomatoes
You know I love my animals,(veg head) but if someone wants to borrow my boxer girl, last week she caught a crow in my garden, and when I say caught it, she ripped its wings off and batted it around like a soccer ball. EWWWW But, the birds do not go near the garden. wrote in message . .. In article , Kathie wrote: Help! The little varmits are eating their way to tomatoe heaven through pepper spray, fox urine, and every other thing I've tried...So far, I've spent $60 and not eaten one single tomato!! Any suggestions??? Pellet gun. -- Kathie Kat ~=^..^=~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
"Pauline Leveille" wrote in message
... We have a birdbath on the porch and they still ate my 'maters! Ate them when they were totally green, so I didn't even have a chance to wait for a pink star like Sandie mentioned. Sigh....... Pauline Look closely at the bottom of your green tomato. The rest of it still looks green when that faint pink star first starts appearing. The star I am talking about looks kinda like the startburst pattern that you see around lights in the rain, etc. At first it looks like a different color of green - leave it till it the star starts to look pink. Good luck! -- Sandie - Don't forget to take the cats out. |
squirrels in my tomatoes
"BONEUNIT" wrote in message ... Maybe the squirrels are thirsty, rather than hungry? Yep, I think that is the case too. Make sure there's fresh water available for the squirrels and I bet they'll leave the tomatoes alone. Holly We have a birdbath on the porch and they still ate my 'maters! Ate them when they were totally green, so I didn't even have a chance to wait for a pink star like Sandie mentioned. Sigh....... Pauline |
squirrels in my tomatoes
"Sandie Hudson" wrote in message ... "Pauline Leveille" wrote in message ... We have a birdbath on the porch and they still ate my 'maters! Ate them when they were totally green, so I didn't even have a chance to wait for a pink star like Sandie mentioned. Sigh....... Pauline Look closely at the bottom of your green tomato. The rest of it still looks green when that faint pink star first starts appearing. The star I am talking about looks kinda like the startburst pattern that you see around lights in the rain, etc. At first it looks like a different color of green - leave it till it the star starts to look pink. Good luck! -- Sandie - Don't forget to take the cats out. I'll do that, next season, when I do this over again, the squirrels took them all.......... Pauline |
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