My tomatoes are finally growing and now something is chomping on them the moment they show any yellow/pink. I am trying to pick them the second I see pink on them, but still I am getting beaten to them. Some tomatoes just have a little bit of damage, but there are some that are half gone. This is my little kids' garden, so I have only been using pyrethrin on the plants. They are partly fenced in since I have dogs. Any ideas on what this is and what to do?
Allison
allisont - I would suggest squirrels, except they usually take the entire tomato! Perhaps it's birds.
I would say that birds are chomping on your tomatoes. Those look like beak marks. Since it's a child's garden, I would maybe buy some whimsical garden ornaments that sparkle or whirl in the wind to try to scare off the birds. I see TONS of these at arts and craft fairs. I always thought pyrethrin was used as insect control. At the larger nurseries, they also sell powdered coyote/fox urine that I've used to keep critters away from my bulbs, but not sure if you can use that stuff near edibles or if it will repel birds. And the drawback is that you need to reapply it after a steady rain. I also remember that it was kind of expensive, more than I would expect to pay for powdered peepee. Is there a bird feeder nearby? If so, maybe you can move it to another area. Good luck!
Also, you might go out at night with a flashlight and see if you've got a nocturnal muncher (like a weird slug or tomato horn worm)
Definitely BIRDS. I'd recognize those marks anywhere!
I got some small plastic apples from Hobby Lobby. Hang them on the tomato plants while real tomatoes are green. Birds will peck on them for a while, I have found some on the ground. After that they leave your tomatoes alone!
We put bird netting up over the tomatoes and peppers yesterday (then a thunderstorm tried to knock it down). Hopefully we will have better luck now! It is definitely mockingbirds, we caught a few in there this weekend. Thanks ya'll!
Allisont,
Another strategy is to place a birdbath somewhere away from your plants, if you have the space, and train the birds to it. Generally, the birds will only go after your tomatoes because they are thirsty. With this draught, everything's getting desperate for moisture.
Gymgirl - good tip regarding the bird bath. I was wondering why allisont was having a problem with birds eating her tomatoes when I don't. We have a bird bath and a couple of feeders. Although birds are a problem in some areas, I really do think they are an asset in the garden. They eat lots of different bugs.
A family of four chickadees pick off aphids every morning from our tomato plants. The parents raised them in a (purchased) wren nest under our porch.
The birds only go after my tomatos when the bird feeder is empty. They have trained me well. I also keep water on the other side of the yard. I've heard that the spinning of shiny, old CD's hanging nearby will ward off birds. Me, I'm just keeping the feeder filled. But I may try the plastic apples next year
rampbrat - I tried CD's this year to keep birds off. Unfortunately it worked and my peas were plagued with aphids! Won't do that again :(
