I spent a lot of time this past spring shoveling out the old clay dirt that was in my garden and replacing it with the mix that is recommended in the book, Square Foot Gardening.
It was hard work and there was an initial expense, but I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with the weeds anymore and I knew my plants would love it.
I picked my first red tomato recently and I could immediately see the fruits of my labor.
Until I turned that beautiful tomato around and saw this…
I almost cried. It was as if a human took a big fat bite out of the tomato as if it were an apple. But that was no human…it was some sort of critter, but I have a 2-foot tall fence around my box, for crying out loud.
You might not know this, but I live in bunnyville. My yard and garden is their 24 hour buffet. But this isn’t the backwoods and these bunnies aren’t Thumper. No, I live in the burbs and these bunnies are practically domesticated animals. They flurry around the neighborhood in their little bunny community as if they own the place!
Upon showing my tomato to my fellow gardening neighbor, she told me that she was having the same problem. She found 5 tomatoes eaten the same way. She has not seen tomatoes eaten this way before. Her husband spent the day putting a fence around their tomatoes, but I have a fence.
I am treating this as an act of war.
My neighbors weren’t so sure this was the work of a bunny. Could it be a chipmunk, a groundhog or dare I say it, a skunk? It must be an awfully nimble groundhog or skunk to slink through the slight opening where the wires come together around my box. I re-secured the fence immediately.
So, I’m calling all gardeners for advice. What’s Eating Our Tomatoes? Is this the work of a bunny, chipmunk, groundhog, or skunk? Any ideas? Please, for the sake of my sanity and the many tomatoes just waiting to turn red, please give me your advice! Thank You!
Jenny – Rest assured, whatever I do will be humane. My neighbor has a trap and he takes the critters out to his cabin in the woods and sets them free.
I was talking to my neighbors last night about it again because they have found some more eaten tomatoes and now we are wondering if it is crows who are eating the tomatoes that way. I’m not sure how to handle that??
I’m not sure but I have the same thing… this the 1st year that I have NOT put a short electric fence around my garden. That may be the ticket out. I had one with three strands that I rigged at 3″, 6-7″, and 10″. I’m getting it back in operation tomorrow!
I have the same problem. I put out mouse traps last night.I caught two mice. tonight I will set 6 traps. No catch and release, sorry
I have had rabbits and raccoons take bites like that out of my tomatoes. We have a fence, too. Sometimes I think we have to fence the top as well. 🙂
It’s squirrels. The only thing I know to do is trap and move them.
I agree it’s squirrels!
I have an elevated above ground garden, 4 feet off the ground, no way but squirrels and birds can get at it, and I have the SAME problem right now…
So this morning I will be feeding my birds and squirrels their food…
I had been neglecting them recently so this is my own fault you could say
Ahhh! So frustrating. At first I thought it was tomato hornworms, but you’d see their droppings and holes would be on the top as well. You’re right to think a critter.
My experience with birds eating fruits, though is that they can’t ever make bites that big. The just peck and peck, leaving a large ragged looking hole or many little holes. Most likely a rat/chipmunk/squirrel animal, in my opinion. Good luck catching the culprit!
Hi!
All kinds of critters could be eating them. Good luck with catching them. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Food for Thought
I have tomatoes that look like that too and have gone on a full scale offensive against the critter eating my tomaotes and cucumbers. We are using a humane trap and so far we have caught a rat, a mouse and a chipmunk, all of whom could have been the culprit. I also caught a squirrel red handed, with a tomato between his paws, taking dainty little bites out of a lovely red tomato in the middle of my yard! I haven’t caught him yet, but rest assured, I will. Best of luck on catching your critters. I highly recommend the humane trap with a soda crackers smeared with peanut butter as the bait.
Birds and horned tomato worms eat our tomatoes on occasion. Mostly the birds.
Before I had to move to the “burbs” with a yard full of pine trees, I would grow a tomato or two. If I found a picked tomato sitting in the grass with the top eaten off and the inards cleaned out so that it just looked like a bowl, it was a racoon. They wouldn’t eat the part that touched the ground. Then, I had some tomatoes that looked like yours with the bottom eaten off while they still hung on the vine. I had no idea what was doing that, until one day I spotted a terrapin with his head arched upward devouring the bottom half of a tomato. And sure enough, all those I’d lost before were at turtle-height. So maybe….
Good luck.
brenda
I found the exact same thing last night on my second ripe tomato of the season! I was not a happy camper. My husband thought it was a groundhog but my suspicion was rabbit. I also think some of my sweet pea plants had been trimmed down so something is lurking out there…..
Birds were our biggest problem this year with tomoatoes. They just sit and eat chunks like that right out of the biggest, prettiest ones! I just got to where I picked them early and let them rippen on my windowsill.
squirrels!
Squirrels are doing that to our tomatoes. My husband has caught them in the act. My elderly neighbor says they do it for the juice when it’s hot.
I lost four, lovely, ripe tomatoes to this type of thing and I figured out it was snails/slugs. So I sprinkled some non-toxic snail bait (we have dogs) and I haven’t had a reoccurance.
Laurie
I have been finding 6-9 tomatoes each day for 3 days now in the grass also so many onions are missing, I never had this problem before . I am new to the gardening only 3 years now . But my tomatoes are going before they are turning red . I am so sad 😞….
I have no idea what it is, but I hope you can get it stopped. We have a lot of squirrels that live in our neighborhood, so I threw a net over some of my tomatoes. So far, I think it is working. Good luck!
In my opinion, investing in a good fence is really the only way to prevent critters from bothering your garden. There is nothing as disappointing as working so hard, waiting patiently for fruit to ripen and then find that “someone” has beaten you to it…
Our fence is 8 feet high and is actually imbedded about 6 inches into the soil…(We live in the country and deer are a problem as well as bunnies, mice,etc.)
Good Luck!
So I tightened up the the fence around the box and hopefully that will keep the critters out. The fence was loose where the two sides come together.
The birds eat some of our tomatoes. They’ll laser on a nice red ripe one and peck out a portion of it. The best way I’ve found to deal with this is to pick the tomatoes as soon as they start showing *any* color. They’ll ripen just fine indoors inside a brown paper bag, and won’t taste any different than vine-ripened.
I’ll leave a red tomato or two on the vine for the birds, just to share and to have them around to also eat insect pests.
Fence around and over top. You can also try spraying a hot pepper spray on them= 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped jalepeno, and 1 tbs cayenne pepper boiled in 2 quarts of water for 20 mins, then strain through cheesecloth. Trapping won’t fix your problem because as you remove one animal it’s only a matter of time before the next one finds the buffet. It’s also a terrible idea to relocate wildlife because most either will die because they don’t know their surroundings or will be killed by the established animals.
Caught my culprits. Mice come out at night and climb the vines. They munch all night and make it look like a larger animal did it. This is not a catch and release program for me.
Never thought of mice, but it’s happening during the day to me so I think not on them in my case
something is also eating my tomatos! im going to try cayenne or jalapeno pepper to deter them.
thanks for the info .I live in the country and this gives me an idea we have all the critters out here.whatever it is likes the ripe tomatoes and the big ones .I am picking as soon as they start to turn color
“This is not a catch & release program” made me chuckle!
I’m a chemical free house (as much as possible) no pesticides no killing of animals except……MICE. Those vulgar foul evil soul crushing monster vermin, DEATH TO THE RATS!!!!
too funny…and I agree!
Did you find out what the culprit was? I am having the same problem. I know that something nocturnal is living under the deck but have never seen it, only theany burrowed holes it has dug.
I never saw whatever was eating my tomatoes, just the evidence of a thirsty critter.
The move got my beautiful 1st tomato today
Okay, need help – looks like alot of knowledgable gardeners here. I am having my tomatoes eaten just prior to turning red (they are still green). I was going to pick just before ripe when the first one disappeared but that didn’t work either as now they are getting them when mature but not yet turning. I have had this garden and used the same tomato cages all along and never had any problem like this before, have an electric fence low and high which keeps most everything out. I can’t imagine what would want so may green tomatoes. Help with your ideas of what this might be. I’m going to get a trap and this is not a catch and release program either. I have declared war!
Could it be birds? I was told that because of a dry summer, birds are looking for something to quench their thirst.
I had planted three tomato plants. Within two days two of the plants had been totally eaten. Not just the leaves but the entire plant. The third one so far has not been attacked.. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have no idea. I’ve never had the entire plant eaten. Call your local plant nursery and ask them. They should be able to give you an idea as to what ate your entire plant.
It was a tomato hornworm. They can destroy a plant in a day.
That happened to me and I think it was possums.
I have not been able to enjoy even one tomato this season. Something takes big bits out of them just as they begin to turn pink. I’ve found partial tomatoes on the steps of the deck, out in the yard, and still on the vine. Something is boring holds in the little cherry tomatoes and leaving them on the vine–so I suspect I have more than one pest ion my garden.
Do you live in an area that is experiencing dry conditions? That may have something to do with it. Whatever animal it is, maybe birds, are looking for hydration.
First I found one big, ripe tomato with huge bites in it. Not a turtle, cause I know how that looks. Last evening I had to thorw out three big, beautiful tomatoes for the same reason. Really makes me mad to do the work and wait all this time for them to finally ripen. I have a four foot chain link fence around the backyard. We have squirrels, opossums and raccoons around here. I suspect the raccoons.
I’m sorry, Marlene, that is so disheartening, especially when you’re ready to eat a big BLT.
My experiment for this evening. I’m cutting part of the foot off my stocking and slipping the almost ripe tomatoes in it while they are still on the vine. I’ll let you know know if it’s successful.
Gee, I think it’s a squirrel. I see their droppings, and I always see squirrels running around on our fence every day. These squirrels can climb nets, fences, and squeeze through tiny holes. Squirres are very smart. Smart enough to trick us. I still have no idea how it got in. 16 tomatoes gone already Netting on the sides and the top. Someone please help!
So, my tomatoes with big bites are on plants that have been grown in 12″ high galvanized steel tubs, so access by turtles could not happen, nor have I ever seen a turtle in my urban city environment, far from a creek or water source. The back side of the beds is the lattice work under the deck, accessible by anything living under my deck (ewwww!). I was thinking of wrapping the beds in the type of netting used by farmers to cover fruit trees? Anyone tried that? I’m not comfortable trapping animals, as I don’t have anyone to help me get “rid” of them (meaning deliver them to a more suitable area). What types of repellants will keep squirrels, and other rodents away? Would they be safe for my dog?
Is there any way you can wrap the steel tub with chicken wire? that would keep critters away, but not birds.
I have never had this like this year. I have partially eaten tomatoes and sometimes all is eaten. Today I went to pick some and I saw a small furry critter the size of a rat but without a tail run for cover. I know a lot about animals but don’t know what this was.
Yikes! I don’t know either. I didn’t have this problem this year, but we had a lot of rain, so I don’t think the critters were as desperate for water.
the pests that are eating our tomatoes that are ripe and close to the ground, where it looks like someone took a bite out of it!! are believe it or not??? frogs!! look closely in the heat of the day and they will jump away!!!
interesting! I never thought of frogs.
My first ripe tomato was eaten right underneath where I didn’t see it till I picked it. I don’t know what did it but last year I bought netting at the Home Depot and wrapped it around my plants and the masqueraded critter couldn’t get to my ripe tomatoes. Bringing them in to ripen inside is the safest thing to do!
My neighbor brings her inside as soon as they start to redden so they aren’t eaten by the critters. Has it been dry in your area? That could be why the critters are going after your tomatoes. They need the water.
If you don’t mind taking a labor intensive, obsessive compulsive approach, try bagging them at night. I’ve done it just to get at least one more day of ripening out of them but still bring them in as they begin to shade red. It’s a heart breaker to lose all of my heirlooms.
We have had success with Yellow tomatos. Only the red ones are the victims in our garden. For the red ones we pick them early and let them ripen on the kitchen counter. Next year we are skipping red tomatos and planting yellow and purple varieties. I haven’t tried purple yet, but it’s worth a try.
That’s an interesting observation, Ann. Maybe next year, I’ll plant yellow too. And purple would be fun, maybe my youngest would eat a purple tomato 😉 Thanks for taking the time to comment!
My purple ones were the first to go.All that was left was scraps of tomato skin laying on the branches. My red ones get half eaten, and the yellow ones only have a nibble taken out of them. So far, I have lost all but 3 tomatoes. So discouraging!
My raised beds are 36″ high (with false bottom) 2′ wide & 8′ long. Since I have a back problem thought this raised beds would kill 2 birds with 1 stone! No critters would eat my tomatoes & I wouldn’t have to bend over to raise veggies! I saw my first tomato ripen & went to pick it today. It was 3/4 eaten & one other had a similar bite. Because of the height of the box I think it has to be squirrels who can jump up or ingenious chipmunks who could go up on my deck & jump to my veggie beds! I’ve read that spearmint & mint oils mixed with water in a spray bottle are a deterrent for any of the rodent families! I’m trying now! Broke my heart when my first beautiful tomato was eaten by a critter instead of me!!
It broke my heart too. It could have been birds too.
I’m feeling your pain Carol, my Beds are about the same height I’d say… thought YEAH Bad beck&shoulders so this killls 2
birds 1 stone, thought the same exact thing And what a gut punch When this problem started 2 days ago! Disheartening to say the least
Curious — does anyone think it’s the moisture the critters are seeking in such a dry season? Or do you think it’s hunger?
I’ve heard it is the moisture, and it makes total sense with the dry weather we had the time the picture was taken. But I don’t know for sure.
the dry conditions is the only reason that makes sense at this point. i’ve lost at least 10 tomatoes at this point. i’m 70 years old and have never seen this before. the neighbor said she saw a porcupine a couple of days ago, they are not native to this area, so…..?
I have same problem..actually saw a chipmunk nibbling away on my gorgeous,red,ripe tomato..going to try a mixture of hot spices and sprinkle on tomatoes..hopefully they don’t like hot spicy tomatoes..lol..
I have been having the same problem. First the birds were pecking them so I put a net all around my garden. How something is eating 1/2 a tomato at a time. There is no way it is a bird as the wouldn’t be able to get in or out of the net. I think it’s either an opossum or rats/mice. I saw a video where a man put fake snakes around his garden to keep the critters out. I’m going to try it.
Good luck!
Ughh this is also happening to me. I have a suspicion that it is either birds or rats/ mice. I have a bunny fence up so I don’t think it could be them. Squirrels are usually more destructive and usually completely take the vegetable right off of the plant. I’m going to try and get some bird netting to see if that helps. I was so excited to make a tomato salad with dinner tonight only to go and pick three half eaten tomatoes ! So maddening.
Best thing to do.. Build a tomato cage from lumber and chicken wire. That’s what I had to do. I built one larger than my bedroom and I can grow tomatoes and sunflowers.. But still have trouble with hornworms and field mice. Not much though. You can easily pick of hornworms at night with a black light flash light as they glow blue. Field mice are easy to trap inside the cage. If you don’t have room, just build a cloche type cover for single plants from the same materials. Reuse every year.
Birds peck holes, squirrels take big bites. Not bunnies. Hav-a-heart traps and long trips for the captive. “Leave the gun; take the cannoli.”
It is now almost November and I am finding half eaten tomatoes in my garden too! I was quite excited I did not have to wrestle the horn worms this year. From all your comments I believe I have rats or mice…lovely. Will know by tomorrow! And I did watch a beautiful bird eating away one day while sitting on the perch (tomato cage) I had so kindly provided. Could be birds too. And frogs do not eat veggies…they love to clean out the grasshoppers, slugs,hornworms (maybe this is why I had none this year),etc as they are carnivores. I have several bullfrog homes under my plants! Hope this info helps, and thanks for your info.
Hola from Spain, I am a Brit who has lived in Oregon and New Zealand,, but now we are in Spain and this is my first year growing tomatoes. I am using 10 gallon felt bags as our soil is clay. I have watched with excited my tomatoes growing,, starting to ripen and then disappear. First we blamed our dogs who do like my garden buffet,, but we fenced them off. Today, I found half eaten toms on the floor,, and I am gutted. No idea what is eating them, though I have seen a rat in our garden and I did wonder if it was those pesky rodents. Finding your post has at least left me feeling no longer alone in the tomato theft,, hopefully we can find a nice way or removing these pesky things!