pocket gophers eating my tomatoes :-(

MelissaCA9 · May 21, 2018

New poster here. I don't know if I'm looking for commiseration or solutions, but I'm so frustrated.

Every morning for the past four days, a pocket gopher (I think!) is eating my tomatoes, as well as a few branches. There are a few holes and fresh mounds of dirt. One morning, several few weeks after I transplanted, an entire plant completely disappeared as if it had never been there. It was a Better Boy so I wasn't heartbroken. Now that my fruits are growing bigger, it's coming up to eat them. I have my garden fenced with sturdy chicken wire to keep rabbits and my dog out, but of course that does nothing for gophers.

A few nights ago, I covered the tomatoes with little plastic zip locks and that worked a couple times, but this morning I found them on the ground, one bag had a tomato in it, and a few others were empty.

I did plant a few of my tomato plants in wire baskets to protect the roots, but these suckers seems to be crawling around and eating tomatoes from various plants.

I don't want to dig in my small garden to put a trap. Can i put a trap on ground level? Any other ideas? I did put half of my tomatoes in containers as an insurance policy so not all is lost... still, it's disheartening.

May 21, 2018	#1
MelissaCA9 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: LA Posts: 9	pocket gophers eating my tomatoes :-( New poster here. I don't know if I'm looking for commiseration or solutions, but I'm so frustrated. Every morning for the past four days, a pocket gopher (I think!) is eating my tomatoes, as well as a few branches. There are a few holes and fresh mounds of dirt. One morning, several few weeks after I transplanted, an entire plant completely disappeared as if it had never been there. It was a Better Boy so I wasn't heartbroken. Now that my fruits are growing bigger, it's coming up to eat them. I have my garden fenced with sturdy chicken wire to keep rabbits and my dog out, but of course that does nothing for gophers. A few nights ago, I covered the tomatoes with little plastic zip locks and that worked a couple times, but this morning I found them on the ground, one bag had a tomato in it, and a few others were empty. I did plant a few of my tomato plants in wire baskets to protect the roots, but these suckers seems to be crawling around and eating tomatoes from various plants. I don't want to dig in my small garden to put a trap. Can i put a trap on ground level? Any other ideas? I did put half of my tomatoes in containers as an insurance policy so not all is lost... still, it's disheartening.