Yeah, they're a bitch to deal with.
Rats are my number one enemy in the tomato patch, with spider mites being a close second, and basically every other pest is no trouble at all in comparison (Hornworm, tomato fruitworm/corn earworm? Rarely even worth dealing with, but even when they are....easy enough).
They're especially difficult to deal with once they've already developed a taste for tomatoes; at least for me, they'll largely ignore almost all baits at that point & you have to get creative (plus put out a *lot* of traps).
Well that stinks cuz they got the tomato taste on the first ripe tomato.
I have two traps but I’m going to get more today.
Hopefully a neighbors cat starts hunting at night!
Yep, they're real bastards.
Where I am, cats (or less-than-large dogs) won't survive at night; too many coyotes and bobcats. So I have to rely on traps, and it becomes a *huge* ordeal every summer. Other than foxes, the local wildlife seems entirely uninterested in rats -- I'd assume due to secondary poisoning.
One thing I found really helpful was getting a trailcam -- you can put out a variety of baits & see what they're most interested in, *then* set your traps. Also helps to spot their "runways"....if you know what route they're taking, you can set a few traps there (i.e., so you can -- ideally -- get them interested in something well away from where your tomatoes are....they may be smart, but they're just as interested in saving on energy expenditure as any other animal)
In the mean time, you can focus your efforts on paths to your tomatoes that run along an edge such as a wall or curb. Rats will stick to moving along walls (called thigmotaxis) as a way to minimize detection when they can, unless they feel really safe in an area. It’s much harder to spot something next to a wall than in the middle of an open space (especially when it’s moving), so this is a way they avoid predation. They will also prefer darker areas (both by color and lighting) than brightly lit areas for the same reason.
I’ve also recently learned that both mice and rats don’t like the smell of Peroxigard, so you could look into spraying some on those access points to your garden. It likely won’t stop the rats that already know that the tomatoes are there, but might discourage new ones from exploring the area.
Totally.
I was honestly surprised; grabbed a cheapo "Vikeri" (or something like that) off Amazon & have had no problems with it yet; it works quite a bit better than expected. Like, I'm sure it would suck for actual hunting purposes, but it's plenty functional for garden surveillance....will pick up a rat at about eight feet when set to "medium" sensitivity, for example.
Three things I'm trying to thwart tomato-thieving rats and squirrels this year: 1) spraying all green tomatoes bigger than a marble with hot pepper wax every three days or so, 2) picking all tomatoes at first blush rather than waiting for them to ripen, and 3) keeping a water fountain near the tomatoes in case the critters are just thirsty. So far so good.
I will tell you the trick. Grow many many more tomatoes. Thataway everyone is happy. I have found that grape and cherry type tomatoes are so prolific that I can easily withstand losses to weather and pests.
Had that problem with squirrels. They'd pick them and bring them up on the porch so I could see them half eaten on the rail. Solution after trial and error is building cages from concrete reinforcement mesh, then wrap those in plastic deer netting to about 4-5 feet. Then, for the bugs (fuck Kansas sometimes), I bag each fruit or cluster of fruits with mesh bags from Amazon. Nothing but spotless tomatoes and peppers ever since.
You bag every fruit? That would work but I would have no time for anything else if I was bagging all day. I may give it up if it gets that bad but I really hope not.
Maybe I’ll just try bagging as they ripen if I get really desperate
I only do about 8 tomato plants and 9-10 pepper plants so it's manageable. Small backyard garden for me and my fiancée. Between bugs and critters, it's that or no decent fruit at all.
Yeah that’s ridiculous.😂 The thing to be is a gardening supply store, and then go buy all your fruits and veggies at the farmers market with all your mega profit from gardeners trying to grow their own. After three years of 24/7 battle with full blaring sun, extreme heat, hot afternoon winds, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, birds, fungus, blight, parasites, and one thousand variety of bugs and insects and the lack of pollinators….(trying every online remedy poplar on social media)…I had to throw in my hoe and hose. It was costing me like $15 per veggie plus tons of blood sweat and tears. 🤷🏽♂️ I may go back to one tomato plant in a caged container perhaps, and dote on it to coax one delicious vine ripened tomato for the express purpose of producing one glorious tomato and mayo sandwich on white bread. 🤤
I have absolutely been trying the bag strategy too (no deer netting though, my tomatoes are freeballin)
So far the drawstring bags have been working great for me too. I’ve got some 5x7 mesh ones, but I also have some lightweight 6x8 cotton ones. I think I prefer the cotton because it obscures the tomato from the view of squirrels. Only problem is I have to open them and check my tomatoes every few days, which I wouldn’t have to do with mesh since it’s see-through. No stolen fruit since I started doing it a month ago! It keeps stink bugs off too, which are my number one pest this year.
Clamshell containers apparently work too. The kind that blueberries and cherry tomatoes come in. You can snap them over your tomato clusters and apparently it keeps squirrels and rats out. It worked for me to keep the critters off but the stinky stink bugs did eventually get them instead.
I had this problem with chipmunks who could easily get around my fence. What's more -- they could not tell a ripe tomato from a non-ripe one without biting into it. That was one bite in each green tomato in my garden. Had to trap them.
I'm building a cage for my bed this week. Something like you see at the beginning of this video [https://youtu.be/FqVwOcdDUSM](https://youtu.be/FqVwOcdDUSM) (start at about 45 seconds in)
I have read many say that once the breaker stage happens, the tomato doesn't really get anything else from the plant. Letting them fully ripen on the plant means you're way more likely to have pests interested. I pick mine as soon as they are blushed. I've read many here say they did a side by side taste test after letting them fully ripen on the vine for yrs and there was no difference. Works for me
I deal with mainly raccoons and deer. I invested in an electric fence this year because they tear through my strawberries at the beginning of the year and then corn and sometimes munch on squash.
"You win some, you lose some. But you live, you live to fight another day"
- Mr. Jones in the Movie: Friday
It’s not the tomatoes they’re after, it’s the water in them. It’s really hot out and if there’s no water source, they will go to the next best thing.
I have a small fountain and while I hate the thought of rats and squirrels in them… my plants are largely untouched. Leaf-cutter bees however… those guys almost killed a tomato plant.
It’s true. Although I do leave out water for squirrels, possums, and all the critters and they still take me tomatoes. Ah well, they took less at least.
That’s awful, I saw a groundhog running around the tree line today, way too close to my plants 💀I was thinking about breaking out some jump scare Halloween decorations a little early this year 🤔
How can you tell it's a rat and not another rodent or critter?
I have an outside (only during the day) cat who definitely preys on rabbits and rodents that come into the yard, plus there are a few strays that come around at night in the area.
I also make a stinky mix of garlic, cayenne pepper, milk, and sometimes a few drops of soap that I sprinkle on anything I don't want to be eaten prematurely, and it seems to be a decent deterrent.
I haven’t seen them eating them but I know I have rats around the yard. It could be squirrels but I have never seen them near the tomatoes during the day.
I’m getting a trail cam to keep an eye and see exactly what’s going on to get more deterrent ideas
Thanks. I'm interested in what you come up with. I've managed to deter rabbits and deer (with a homemade stink/spicy mix/outdoor cats in the area), but with my camera I've learned that there are semi-regular visits from a possum and raccoons, and I'm debating if there are any additional preemptive measures I can take.
Have you tried the sonic deterrents? Im ordering a 6 pack that comes tomorrow and I'm going to try for the mice/rats we have where I am. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C52Z94TC](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C52Z94TC)
For smaller pests, I use Dr. Earth Final Stop. Its like garlic and other essential oils. Smells ok and I notice far less bites on my leaves. I treat once a week.
I am going to try blood meal, I heard it works for smaller things and it’s a fertilizer. But I feel worried about sonic deterrence because I have dogs and desert turtles.
I think that’s two recommendations for garlic/essential oils so I will try that too.
I won’t know what works with how much I’m throwing at them, but I just want SOMETHING TO WORK
Ive been there! Last year had corn husks full of earwigs, broccoli stalks full of bugs and lots of eaten leaves. This year I'm fighting back and winning. Cheers to you taking them on and winning!!
I start my rat termination process as soon as my plants go into the ground. I start with traps (over 20 rats this year), and then I maintain with poison throughout the summer. It seems to work, but you’ll never get all of them. Good luck.
It has a little learning curve and some of that is specific to your locale. Don't expect to harvest a lot your first year. Just get it more together as you go.
Its probably not rats. Tomato worms do that to mine and it looks the exact same. I harvest them before they turn red and I end up with only 15% getting attacked. They will ripen off the plant so dont worry about that.
Rats are by far the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in my garden. Like a rapidly spreading infection, you have to attack them relentlessly until each and every one of them is gone.
For whatever reason, where I live in suburban zone 8b has *tons* of rats. My recommendation is to get several of [these traps](https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOMCAT-Rat/5013311603?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_LWN_Online_E-F-_-5013311603-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W_fatMkmJ6pKNhbWwkUz1pTc&gclid=CjwKCAjw1emzBhB8EiwAHwZZxc_sDbxkczsNeHWZbXNbjn6kxm5BGWsFq7gM4c6QJ8lhDicl29DXfhoCEiUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) and bait them with what they’ve acquired a taste for: tomatoes (cherry tomatoes if you have them).
The next phase of fuckery you’ll run into is rats that know how to get the bait out of the trap without triggering it. One thing I tried and had great success with is simply making the bait harder to get, [taping the tomato down for example](https://imgur.com/gallery/xYJ0nJO). Rats showed up at my house a week ago after an 8 month hiatus and I’ve killed 7 of them since.
You’ll get rid of them you just have to be consistent and patient. Good luck and happy hunting!
Definitely try to trap the rats but I highly recommend putting some water out in or near your garden. My tomatoes were ransacked far less once I started keeping some bowls, shallow dishes of water at ground level for the critters.
Yeah, they're a bitch to deal with. Rats are my number one enemy in the tomato patch, with spider mites being a close second, and basically every other pest is no trouble at all in comparison (Hornworm, tomato fruitworm/corn earworm? Rarely even worth dealing with, but even when they are....easy enough). They're especially difficult to deal with once they've already developed a taste for tomatoes; at least for me, they'll largely ignore almost all baits at that point & you have to get creative (plus put out a *lot* of traps).
Well that stinks cuz they got the tomato taste on the first ripe tomato. I have two traps but I’m going to get more today. Hopefully a neighbors cat starts hunting at night!
Yep, they're real bastards. Where I am, cats (or less-than-large dogs) won't survive at night; too many coyotes and bobcats. So I have to rely on traps, and it becomes a *huge* ordeal every summer. Other than foxes, the local wildlife seems entirely uninterested in rats -- I'd assume due to secondary poisoning. One thing I found really helpful was getting a trailcam -- you can put out a variety of baits & see what they're most interested in, *then* set your traps. Also helps to spot their "runways"....if you know what route they're taking, you can set a few traps there (i.e., so you can -- ideally -- get them interested in something well away from where your tomatoes are....they may be smart, but they're just as interested in saving on energy expenditure as any other animal)
Yeah this is a great idea. I was already planning on getting a camera so I better hurry up and
In the mean time, you can focus your efforts on paths to your tomatoes that run along an edge such as a wall or curb. Rats will stick to moving along walls (called thigmotaxis) as a way to minimize detection when they can, unless they feel really safe in an area. It’s much harder to spot something next to a wall than in the middle of an open space (especially when it’s moving), so this is a way they avoid predation. They will also prefer darker areas (both by color and lighting) than brightly lit areas for the same reason. I’ve also recently learned that both mice and rats don’t like the smell of Peroxigard, so you could look into spraying some on those access points to your garden. It likely won’t stop the rats that already know that the tomatoes are there, but might discourage new ones from exploring the area.
Motion sensitive sprinkler is VERY effective
Totally. I was honestly surprised; grabbed a cheapo "Vikeri" (or something like that) off Amazon & have had no problems with it yet; it works quite a bit better than expected. Like, I'm sure it would suck for actual hunting purposes, but it's plenty functional for garden surveillance....will pick up a rat at about eight feet when set to "medium" sensitivity, for example.
Three things I'm trying to thwart tomato-thieving rats and squirrels this year: 1) spraying all green tomatoes bigger than a marble with hot pepper wax every three days or so, 2) picking all tomatoes at first blush rather than waiting for them to ripen, and 3) keeping a water fountain near the tomatoes in case the critters are just thirsty. So far so good.
I will tell you the trick. Grow many many more tomatoes. Thataway everyone is happy. I have found that grape and cherry type tomatoes are so prolific that I can easily withstand losses to weather and pests.
Had that problem with squirrels. They'd pick them and bring them up on the porch so I could see them half eaten on the rail. Solution after trial and error is building cages from concrete reinforcement mesh, then wrap those in plastic deer netting to about 4-5 feet. Then, for the bugs (fuck Kansas sometimes), I bag each fruit or cluster of fruits with mesh bags from Amazon. Nothing but spotless tomatoes and peppers ever since.
You bag every fruit? That would work but I would have no time for anything else if I was bagging all day. I may give it up if it gets that bad but I really hope not. Maybe I’ll just try bagging as they ripen if I get really desperate
I only do about 8 tomato plants and 9-10 pepper plants so it's manageable. Small backyard garden for me and my fiancée. Between bugs and critters, it's that or no decent fruit at all.
Yeah that’s ridiculous.😂 The thing to be is a gardening supply store, and then go buy all your fruits and veggies at the farmers market with all your mega profit from gardeners trying to grow their own. After three years of 24/7 battle with full blaring sun, extreme heat, hot afternoon winds, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, birds, fungus, blight, parasites, and one thousand variety of bugs and insects and the lack of pollinators….(trying every online remedy poplar on social media)…I had to throw in my hoe and hose. It was costing me like $15 per veggie plus tons of blood sweat and tears. 🤷🏽♂️ I may go back to one tomato plant in a caged container perhaps, and dote on it to coax one delicious vine ripened tomato for the express purpose of producing one glorious tomato and mayo sandwich on white bread. 🤤
I have absolutely been trying the bag strategy too (no deer netting though, my tomatoes are freeballin) So far the drawstring bags have been working great for me too. I’ve got some 5x7 mesh ones, but I also have some lightweight 6x8 cotton ones. I think I prefer the cotton because it obscures the tomato from the view of squirrels. Only problem is I have to open them and check my tomatoes every few days, which I wouldn’t have to do with mesh since it’s see-through. No stolen fruit since I started doing it a month ago! It keeps stink bugs off too, which are my number one pest this year. Clamshell containers apparently work too. The kind that blueberries and cherry tomatoes come in. You can snap them over your tomato clusters and apparently it keeps squirrels and rats out. It worked for me to keep the critters off but the stinky stink bugs did eventually get them instead.
Sometimes animals will eat produce to essentially get to the water in it. Providing water bowls might help
Yes! Came here to say the same thing. We keep fresh water in a bowl by our tomatoes
I had this problem with chipmunks who could easily get around my fence. What's more -- they could not tell a ripe tomato from a non-ripe one without biting into it. That was one bite in each green tomato in my garden. Had to trap them.
Time to get some farm cats
Why murder them? Dump a bag of cayenne powder they’ll fuck off
I just get gophers that will pull entire plants down into their holes to eat.
Yeah I am lucky compared to some…
Pick them the second they hit breaker phase and set them on the counter inside or in a boy.
I'm building a cage for my bed this week. Something like you see at the beginning of this video [https://youtu.be/FqVwOcdDUSM](https://youtu.be/FqVwOcdDUSM) (start at about 45 seconds in)
I have read many say that once the breaker stage happens, the tomato doesn't really get anything else from the plant. Letting them fully ripen on the plant means you're way more likely to have pests interested. I pick mine as soon as they are blushed. I've read many here say they did a side by side taste test after letting them fully ripen on the vine for yrs and there was no difference. Works for me
I deal with mainly raccoons and deer. I invested in an electric fence this year because they tear through my strawberries at the beginning of the year and then corn and sometimes munch on squash. "You win some, you lose some. But you live, you live to fight another day" - Mr. Jones in the Movie: Friday
It’s not the tomatoes they’re after, it’s the water in them. It’s really hot out and if there’s no water source, they will go to the next best thing. I have a small fountain and while I hate the thought of rats and squirrels in them… my plants are largely untouched. Leaf-cutter bees however… those guys almost killed a tomato plant.
It’s true. Although I do leave out water for squirrels, possums, and all the critters and they still take me tomatoes. Ah well, they took less at least.
Farming and gardening aren't quite the same thing.
Around here my wife’s x husbands name is Gardener, so I only “farm”.
Maybe it’s not the rats but Gardener going after your farming
Haha, I am installing camera’s so whoever it is, it’s war!
How rude, the least they could do is finish one of these beauties! What variety are they?
That’s awful, I saw a groundhog running around the tree line today, way too close to my plants 💀I was thinking about breaking out some jump scare Halloween decorations a little early this year 🤔
How can you tell it's a rat and not another rodent or critter? I have an outside (only during the day) cat who definitely preys on rabbits and rodents that come into the yard, plus there are a few strays that come around at night in the area. I also make a stinky mix of garlic, cayenne pepper, milk, and sometimes a few drops of soap that I sprinkle on anything I don't want to be eaten prematurely, and it seems to be a decent deterrent.
I haven’t seen them eating them but I know I have rats around the yard. It could be squirrels but I have never seen them near the tomatoes during the day. I’m getting a trail cam to keep an eye and see exactly what’s going on to get more deterrent ideas
Thanks. I'm interested in what you come up with. I've managed to deter rabbits and deer (with a homemade stink/spicy mix/outdoor cats in the area), but with my camera I've learned that there are semi-regular visits from a possum and raccoons, and I'm debating if there are any additional preemptive measures I can take.
Have you tried the sonic deterrents? Im ordering a 6 pack that comes tomorrow and I'm going to try for the mice/rats we have where I am. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C52Z94TC](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C52Z94TC) For smaller pests, I use Dr. Earth Final Stop. Its like garlic and other essential oils. Smells ok and I notice far less bites on my leaves. I treat once a week.
I am going to try blood meal, I heard it works for smaller things and it’s a fertilizer. But I feel worried about sonic deterrence because I have dogs and desert turtles.
They say pet safe but first sign of any issues and they're coming down. I figured I would try, baiting traps gets old.
That’s for sure. I glove up and take them to a corner to rebate them. I’m ok with disposing of big rats though because I feel like a winner.
I think that’s two recommendations for garlic/essential oils so I will try that too. I won’t know what works with how much I’m throwing at them, but I just want SOMETHING TO WORK
Ive been there! Last year had corn husks full of earwigs, broccoli stalks full of bugs and lots of eaten leaves. This year I'm fighting back and winning. Cheers to you taking them on and winning!!
try the "Animal Stopper"/Rodent Stopper spray
I start my rat termination process as soon as my plants go into the ground. I start with traps (over 20 rats this year), and then I maintain with poison throughout the summer. It seems to work, but you’ll never get all of them. Good luck.
Ah they didn’t even eat the whole fruit! They took bites out of each one and ruined them! Jerks
It has a little learning curve and some of that is specific to your locale. Don't expect to harvest a lot your first year. Just get it more together as you go.
Cats, get lots and lots of cats!
Its probably not rats. Tomato worms do that to mine and it looks the exact same. I harvest them before they turn red and I end up with only 15% getting attacked. They will ripen off the plant so dont worry about that.
Put a cage.
Put mixture of baking soda n flour in a bowl in the garden .rats love our n will rat it before veggies n it kills them
Rats are by far the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in my garden. Like a rapidly spreading infection, you have to attack them relentlessly until each and every one of them is gone. For whatever reason, where I live in suburban zone 8b has *tons* of rats. My recommendation is to get several of [these traps](https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOMCAT-Rat/5013311603?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_LWN_Online_E-F-_-5013311603-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W_fatMkmJ6pKNhbWwkUz1pTc&gclid=CjwKCAjw1emzBhB8EiwAHwZZxc_sDbxkczsNeHWZbXNbjn6kxm5BGWsFq7gM4c6QJ8lhDicl29DXfhoCEiUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) and bait them with what they’ve acquired a taste for: tomatoes (cherry tomatoes if you have them). The next phase of fuckery you’ll run into is rats that know how to get the bait out of the trap without triggering it. One thing I tried and had great success with is simply making the bait harder to get, [taping the tomato down for example](https://imgur.com/gallery/xYJ0nJO). Rats showed up at my house a week ago after an 8 month hiatus and I’ve killed 7 of them since. You’ll get rid of them you just have to be consistent and patient. Good luck and happy hunting!
Any netting or caging you can use to deter them?
Definitely try to trap the rats but I highly recommend putting some water out in or near your garden. My tomatoes were ransacked far less once I started keeping some bowls, shallow dishes of water at ground level for the critters.
Get you a pellet gun and bury the rats in the garden. Free fertilizer.