tomato chomper

[hitthebricks]

I hace somethome eating my tomatoes and cantalope. Onlt eats whats ripe, might only eat about the size of a quarter, might eat half. What ever it is ruin more tomatos than I get to pick. Any ideas?

HTB

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Sounds like its time for a "Trail Cam".

[Dotch]

Likely rodent related. Squirrels, bunnies, striped gophers and chipmunks come to mind. Bunnies and squirrels have ruined more garden here this year than most people get to eat out of theirs. 7 or 8 beautiful, big cantaloupe, about 1/4 of the Indian corn and completely wrecked the the snap pea and beet crop. Now I see we have some chipmunks hanging around. I like all of the above fine when they behave themselves but when they don't, at least starting today, I can have the bunnies and squirrels in for lunch, namely the main course.

[Ufatz]

You'd be surprised how much of that stuff is done by MICE! We have Wally Woodchuck who comes and eats a tomato every now and then but leaves other stuff alone. We have some feeders for chipmunks and that keeps them away from the garden area.

Try ammonia soaked rags draped through your plants. Refresh it every few nights. Also....many critters HATE the smell of put peppermint oil Order some and try it.

We sorta just live with the little critters. What the hell.....it ain't like we GOTTA have the stuff.

[givetoget]

Hitthebricks I had the same problem, figured it was rodents, critters and any thing else I could think of. Turns out it was my gosh darn chickins and one Pekin duck. I could not believe they would do that. You have chickens by chance? Good luck.

[eurolarva]

If the tomatoes are indeterminate pick them when they blush and put them in a paper sack to ripen. You wont be able to tell the taste difference. I was told once a tomato (indeterminate) starts to change color then no longer get nutrients from the plant.

Try putting black pepper on the ground around the plants. Probably end up with sneezing bunnies but it is worth a try

[hydro]

If the part that gets eaten looks like a single bite, it is likely deer. They get into my garden once in a while and take one bite from each tomato, then drop them and move on.

[hitthebricks]

No chickens but a bumper crop of squirrels. Ill have to try ammonia and mouse traps.

[brakedancer]

I had same issue through the years...seems to only happen on the dry years..believe they are thirsty..put out a mouse trap(rotary walk through type) and caught a shrew...my tomatoes where near or on the ground..the problem will go away in about a month...