Big BER Boo Boo

[travis]

Boy did I ever make a huge mistake ...

I let my seed garden out behind the construction shop get a little too weedy. Rain, rain, rain kept me from gettin' necessary work done out there (it's about six miles from home).

When I finally got to it, I had to run a roto tiller through the rows to get it under control before mulchin' the heck out of it with straw. I have six rows planted 3 - 4 feet apart with plants about 3 feet apart in each row ... so there's plenty of room to roto till.

Here it is after tilling and mulching 6/17


But ... the plants were fairly advanced with lots of advanced green tomatoes, one or two breakers, and loads of little greenies.

And I got a little too enthusiastic with the roto tiller ... like tillin' a little too close to the plants and probably cuttin' lots of spread roots. The plot looks great now ... but let me tell you ... the BER went rampant about a week or so after the tilling. Everything, or nearly everything, but the dwarves showed some BER.

Lesson Learned: Don't disturb the roots when the plants are loaded with developing fruit.

Most everything is back to normal now, but it took two weeks and I lost about half the seed fruit.

Now the big problem is Mockingbirds ... they sit up on those stakes and cackle at me with tomato juice drippin' from their beaks

PV

[landarc]

Well, as long as they are BER tom's, and just for seed, not too big a loss just yet. Hopefully more seed toms will come along and maybe you'll get more root growth to replace any damage you might have done.

[Rena]

What I wouldnt give for a flat lot with a sunny place to grow tomatoes.....Very pretty spot. The birds are filling up on cherrries here as well

[geoguy_TN]

We had a mockingbird family in our tree this year, but I have yet to lose any tomatoes to them. I guess they are more well mannered down here than the Hoosier sub-species. Now, if I could find a way to keep the bluebirds and friends from leaving deposits on my tomatoes when they perch on the cages, I will be happy. I think it's funny, but the kids find it disgusting

Now, if I could train the mockingbirds to eat the end-rotted tomatoes...

[kimpossible]

You could add t-bars or other pole supports & suspend bird netting horizontally over-top the garden, at a height high enough to walk under, to thwart those mockingbirds...