Now you see it, now you don't

[sheysd1]

Sometime, late last night, in the darkness, something absconded with this beautiful, almost totally ripe, Cherokee Purple tomato. This tomato was near the top of the plant. All the smaller, still green tomatoes near the bottom are still there.

There is not a trace to be found. No seeds, no specks, nothing. This tomato weighed at the least, a little over a pound. Well, I will admit, the culprit has good taste!

Tonight...........I am guarding my plants with a shotgun

[matereater]

sounds like maybe a two legged critter, like a neighbor??

[sheysd1]

Hey Steve.........No, I don't think it was human. This plant is in my backyard, surrounded by 7 foot block walls and a locked gate.

I live in a city suburb, with a freeway up the street. Just 15 minutes north west of the San Fernando Valley by the Los Angeles/Ventura County line in a neighborhood of "Cookie Cutter" homes, you know, the kind of houses where you stick your face out your windows and rub noses with your neighbors.

We do have squirrels and rats and the occasional possum and racoon too. I'm suspecting one of the latter. Although I don't know how he could have reached up so high into the plant. I don't think the branch could hold the weight.

We are moving to Texas. Boy, if all I have are these pesky little creatures here, I am city, born and raised, I can't wait to find out what I will be up against in Texas!

[Sunsi]

Sorry about your loss--we have some kind of caterpillar eating out best ones this year. So moving to Texas you'll be able to grow two crops per season? I envy you!

[tomakers]

Originally Posted by feldon30

Any tomato in Texas at that degree of ripeness would already have several bites out of it.

I'd take a valuable lesson from this: Never let a tomato get that ripe without picking it.

It doesn't have to be Texas either, I have to pick all mine before they are completely ripe or risk losing them to birds, possums, bugs, you name it.

Originally Posted by matereater

sounds like maybe a two legged critter, like a neighbor??

Did you look for foot prints????
With the whole tomato disappearing, I would also think of 2 legged pests.
JMO,
Tom

[ScottinAtlanta]

Squirrel! No doubt in my mind. If you look in the area, you will find the remains with little satanic teeth marks in it.

[sheysd1]

You know what Scott..........I thought maybe it might be a squirrel. I have a couple that run up along my block walls. I have put seed, nuts and different tidbits of food up on the wall at the opposite end of my yard to try and keep the little buggers away from my crops.

They sure are cute but right now they are trying my patience

I do try to pick my tomatoes before they are fully ripe. This one missing tomato just seemed to still need a couple more days. From now on, I will pick them very early!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by sheysd1

I do try to pick my tomatoes before they are fully ripe. This one missing tomato just seemed to still need a couple more days. From now on, I will pick them very early!

I dont know how much experience you have with black tomatoes but--------
With many blacks Cherokee Purple included you will never get those green shoulders to go away completely.
IF that was what you were referring to in your post as to needing to ripen more.

Worth

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by sheysd1

You know what Scott..........I thought maybe it might be a squirrel. I have a couple that run up along my block walls. I have put seed, nuts and different tidbits of food up on the wall at the opposite end of my yard to try and keep the little buggers away from my crops.

They sure are cute but right now they are trying my patience

I do try to pick my tomatoes before they are fully ripe. This one missing tomato just seemed to still need a couple more days. From now on, I will pick them very early!

I pick mine at first blush. Too many mocking birds, pill worms ( or sow bugs?), fire ants, chickens and who knows what else, not to mention sun scald, if I leave one on the vine to ripen.

[feldon30]

Any tomato in Texas at that degree of ripeness would already have several bites out of it.

I'd take a valuable lesson from this: Never let a tomato get that ripe without picking it.

[recruiterg]

Do you have a dog? My dog has a developed a habit of waiting until the tomatoes are just perfectly ripe, then she picks them herself and devours them in the yard. I always get mad at my wife for leaving the dog in the backyard unattended this time of year.

[BigBrownDogHouse]

Originally Posted by recruiterg

Do you have a dog? My dog has a developed a habit of waiting until the tomatoes are just perfectly ripe, then she picks them herself and devours them in the yard. I always get mad at my wife for leaving the dog in the backyard unattended this time of year.

My Beagle loves fresh tomatoes from the garden. My Labs will leave them alone but my little guy just can't resist.

[lakelady]

the two critters I have to worry about eating my veggies are groundhogs and muskrats. Anything down by the lake (like all of the tops of my coneflowers) will be eaten by the muskrat. When I had a veggie garden down there, I used a chickenwire fence to keep him out. Up near the house, I have a nice tunnel under some boulders that the groundhogs like to use. I had to call a trapper this year and now they are gone (ha! till next year!). My neighbor has snakes as he is on the point, with water on 3 sides and he has seen them come up to his deck and eat his tomatoes!

We just got another kitty so hopefully she has more killer instincts than the male who sits around and gets fat!

[JaneMartin]

Originally Posted by lakelady

We just got another kitty so hopefully she has more killer instincts than the male who sits around and gets fat!

Hehe...that's funny