Possums who steal tomatoes and the law of unintended consequences

[Dewayne mater]

So, I've figured out that I've got a possum who LOVES tomatoes. (He also scratched on my bedroom door just like the dog does when she wants to come in. Almost got himself let in that way one night!) He has the ability to eat tomatoes and spit out the skins. For a few weeks he's been chowing on Sungolds, clearly a favorite! I didn't like it, but with two SG plants that were prolific I still had plenty. His piles of golden skins he spits out are throughout the garden and a reminder of his nocturnal forays.

So, I thought I'd found a humane and effective tool to discourage him. Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler! Cool toy! It arrived yesterday and I set it up to go off last night. This is where the law of unintended consequences took over! I set up the motion activated sprinkler, and it worked. However, I only set it to cover the area where the possum had been eating. So, yup, last night he moved away from Sungolds and ate 2 Mar Nars and 2 JD's Special CTex, all of which had apparently just started blush. I had no idea the appetite this guy brought! All 4 of them were more than 1/2 pounders and he at 1/3 to 1/2 of all of them.

I guess I'll try to get sprinkler coverage of the entire area tonight. Maybe just put up a possums welcome here next to my sungolds!

Dewayne