BER, Squirrels, Margaret Curtain, help!

[SharonRossy]

Ok help needed! You'd think by now I would have figured out container growing, but KBX and Margaret Curtain really took off and I probably didn't manage as well as I should have with pruning. After a 4 day drought in watering because my husband didn't properly keep them watering when I was away, I have been picking off Margaret Curtain tomatoes like crazy and a few other plants as well. At this rate, I'll be lucky to eat one.
And to add insult to injury, the squirrels are now attacking my plants. Question, why don't squirrels eat the fruit with BER? That's the least they could do if they are only going to munch and then leave them for me to find.
I was hoping that the BER was going to resolve itself with regular watering and fertilizing. I've started pruning off suckers and have now begun pinching off top growth because there is no way the fruit will have time to ripen.

Thoughts anyone?
Sharon

[Labradors2]

Sharon, I don't know about the BER, but I think you are a bit too early to prune off suckers. It takes about 40 days for a flower to ripen into an edible fruit, so there's still some time left, and don't forget that we can pick at first blush and finish ripening indoors.

Some people say that the critters are thirsty and take a bite out of a just to get a drink. Perhaps some bowls of water for the tree rats might spare your precious M. Curtains?

Linda

[KarenO]

Agree with Linda, Let some new blooms set. They should still have time to fruit and ripen in your zone. As to the squirrels, I'm not sure how to deal with them. Can you rig up spme sort of barrier temporarily?
I know you were excited to try the MC. There's still time. It can be difficult to regulate moisture in pots for sure.
KarenO

[SharonRossy]

Thanks Linda and Karen. I haven't gone too crazy with pruning. MC is very healthy looking. Like a horse, so I'm frustrated with the BER issue. I've started putting a plastic barrier but the buggers have even chewed thru that! In terms of water, we have a salt water pool at their disposal if they need a drink! And heavens knows, we've had ample rain and fresh water has been available to them in other containers.
I just hope the BER has steadied itself. MC has plenty of new flowers forming, I basically pruned out some of the weaker ones stems that were more inside. It's such a lush plant, big leaves. I am excited to try it.

[kygreg]

Speaking of squirrels, I can't figure out why the squirrels in my yard do not eat cherry or salad size tomatoes. They like to take one or two bites out of a nice large one.

[efisakov]

I have problems with squirrels too. The water is not an issue here neither. I always have water available in rain collecting containers and for my dog. They are loving my cucumbers this year: ate my first 7 cucumbers of the season and later took 2 Long Japanese cuces and killed that plant. They are not just eating everything they are digging in my garden too.
Sharon, I sprayed with hot peppers (mixed with soap) few times. I was sneezing a lot while poring hot pepper on the soil as well. It deterred them for a while.

[Labradors2]

That's interesting Ella! I've bought a cayenne pepper seedling so that I can make my own pepper solution to spray on my plants to deter CHIPMUNKS. They love to dig and destroy in my front garden. I may spray the garden veggies too. Maybe it will deter the Cabbage Whites on my Dinosaur kale!

Linda

[efisakov]

I wonder if there is a variety of tomato that is hot?

Linda, there is an organic method against tiny plant eating creatures.
It was suggested by RobinB: “…diatomaceous earth and an empty spray bottle, put one T of DE into a 32oz bottle, fill with water and shake until the DE dissolves. Then spray those plants with spider mites. When it dries you will see a white film on the plant. Reapply after it rains.”
I add soap sometimes to that. I have bees going around my garden unharmed. But mites and aphids do not like it.

[SharonRossy]

The squirrels don't touch my cukes. I think they are too pricky. What about garlic spray for them and other pests? That's supposed to work. Ella, With my luck, if I use hot pepper, they'll probably make salsa and bring chips, lol! We just had a very violent thunderstorm and heavy rains, so I can only hope the tomato plants haven't been blown from here to eternity. I'm afraid to go out tomorrow to assess the damage.
Oh happy days!
Sharon

[ScottinAtlanta]

My Atlanta squirrels eat green cherry tomatoes, all other tomatoes, acorn squash, and superhot peppers.

They are adaptive, clever, Spawns of Satan.

The only way to stop them is..... wrap every tomato in bubble wrap, or kill them.

[squirrel789]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

My Atlanta squirrels eat green cherry tomatoes, all other tomatoes, acorn squash, and superhot peppers.

They are adaptive, clever, Spawns of Satan.

The only way to stop them is..... wrap every tomato in bubble wrap, or kill them.

I had green, and ripening, tomatoes on my vines for weeks and weeks and all the squirrels in my area didn't give them a second look. Suddenly one must have tried a green tomato and liked it, because within 2-3 days i was cleaned out of every green tomato (from cherry to beefsteaks) in my patio garden (12 plants total). Including all the cherries, literally over a hundred tomatoes went in the blink of an eye. I've got 10'+ healthy vines, but nothing but the promise of new blossoms and pea to golf ball sized fruit at the top. I've mostly solved the problem, excect for one particularly stubborn and large specimen which still intermittently tries to grab one of the greenies, though I hope to teach it not to continue much longer.

I can't use my .22 LR where I live (inside city limits, barely, with neighbors that wouldn't take kindly to it), so instead I tried a CO2 airsoft gun. Squirrels ARE smart, and will stay away if you can spend a few mornings/evenings making sure that when they head into the garden they get firm "slap on the wrist". These perfectly legal "toy" guns (where I live), won't injure or maim and certainly won't kill, but the squirrels will know that they don't like what happens when they get into your plants. I've got only one squirrel who still dares to venture into my tomatoes, and even he will only try it once every couple of days. This was accomplished over a short amount of time that I was able to work from home and peek out at the garden every once in awhile.

I don't think this is an inhumane method as the little plastic biodegradable BB's are not nearly powerful enough to injure and don't even come close to penetrating thick squirrel hides, but I'm sure the pests feel a sting that seems strong enough to make them associate my garden with a feeling they don't much seem to like. Maybe they'll have a bit of a bruise the next day, but I'm guessing its less painful than watching months of hard work and $$$ disappear almost overnight. I had clean water sources available, and there is plenty of other food in the wooded areas around my house, so no excuses there. Every so often I think a squirrel goes for a green tomato and likes it. If you can't eliminate that squirrel, or teach it not to want to go back for more, then you have a free-for-all where every squirrel in your neighborhood knows where the free buffet is - in your garden.

Squirrels DO learn, and quickly too. They can can get into pretty much wherever they want, so you just have to make them not want to get caught inside your garden :-)

Airsoft guns are legal in the vast majority of areas and can range from $10 spring-powered models to more expensive/powerful compressed air or re-chargeable electric versions. They are designed to shoot at other people (like paintball guns), so I don't think they are really a safety hazard/nuisance unless used completely carelessly. This is especially true when compared to other, more serious options. The guns themselves are classified as toys in general, but my now-growing airsoft collection has helped me get rid of my squirrel problems in less time than I expected and without having to deal with any corpses. I can appreciate some good pan-fried or braised squirrel after squirrel-hunting in a natural environment, but I'd rather not eat a "city squirrel". Who knows what they have been into besides my tomatoes? Now, if only I (and the squirrels) remember this lesson before the garden is ruined next year ;-)

There's my rant about squirrels and urban gardening when elimination/relocation is not feasible or is illegal (as live trapping is in many cities). Sorry, but I had to vent this somewhere

[SharonRossy]

Well my hope was a few of them met their maker last night during the storm, but I see another tomato sitting on the fence. They're protected here. Can only catch them and relocate. Believe me I had fantasies,,,,,

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by SharonRossy

Well my hope was a few of them met their maker last night during the storm, but I see another tomato sitting on the fence. They're protected here. Can only catch them and relocate. Believe me I had fantasies,,,,,

Sharon, I am with you. I think of them as rats.

[SharonRossy]

Well they are in the rodent family! Oh well, between BER and squirrels it's going to be a long summer.

[fonseca]

If I didn't live in a city, I would have a freezer full of squirrel stew. I'm still thinking about getting a depredation permit to eliminate some problem squirrels. Nothing stops those $#%*! I don't want to kill them. Except when I catch them ruining green tomatoes. I'll be trying a ghost pepper spray soon.

Edit: I bought a few rolls of all purpose animal netting today. I hate using this stuff because birds can get tangled in it, but I have yet to harvest anything other than cherry tomatoes thanks to the squirrels. I've lost hundreds of tomatoes. This was supposed to be the Summer of BLTs.