Squirrel problems in my tomato garden have reached a climax this year. I’m an avid gardener but this dilemma I’m having is finally going to put my tomato growing days into retirement.
Squirrel Problems in my Tomato Garden
The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler. The passing of another season is a sad and busy time of the year for me. Now is the time I usually go out and reap the rewards of my summer fertilizing, weeding, and watering. I’ve done it religiously all summer long in sweltering heat. Except for one fruit I have failed to harvest all of this season.
Tomatoes.
My garden has decreased in size since I moved to the south 4 years ago. Each year I learn what I can grow and what will not. My main crops are cucumbers, green peppers, zucchini and tomato plants.
Note that I did not say tomatoes, just plants.
Since I have a deep love for tomato sandwiches with fresh warm tomatoes just picked off the vine, I have tried to grow these for the past 4 years.
My trouble is not fungus or wilt or caterpillars.
It’s those thieving little furry bandits…
Squirrels.
These critters wait till just the peak of tomato perfection. They go and swipe my red delicious balls of taste and juice, then run through the yard toward their squirrely hideouts.
Some are even more devious. They just take a bite or two and then move on to the next one, so that when you go to pick them they are half-eaten.
Fixing Squirrel Problems in Tomato Gardens
I have asked my neighbors what I can do to stop squirrel problems in my tomato garden. My neighbors have their own solutions. Some have gone so far as install an electric fence around the garden. Some have cats the size of labradors, others just the labradors on the premises. I have even stopped feeding the poor birds, so as not to attract those fuzzy varmits.
My solution is the cheapest, and quite honestly, the harshest. I have vowed to surrender to the bandit rodents. I will not grow another tomato next year. It will likely help my blood pressure. It will not stop my yearning for these delicacies, or help me learn to love them green.
For now, I will have to go to the farmers market to harvest what fresh looking tomatoes I can find.