Why do some get nibbled?

GreenThumbGal_07 · August 19, 2021

I was looking forward to harvesting Old Brooks this afternoon. Thought I saw at least two ripe fruits, one hiding behind some foliage.
Picked both, and the first had a bite taken out of it, the second one nearly gone!
I believe birds were the culprit in this case. The weather has been really dry and tomatoes offer juice. I hadn't filled the dog's water dish for a few days and perhaps the birds sought out the tomatoes as a water source.
However, this variety was the only one pecked at. There were bigger and more succulent tomatoes ripening, but they were ignored. Why this one? It isn't bigger or more attractive, I think.
A couple of things do make it different. For one, the fruit has no green shoulders (perhaps this is a recessive trait). For another, and I am not sure this has anything to do with the fruit being pecked at, this is the only plant suffering from chlorosis. I have treated it no differently than the other plants and they have received all the same basic potting soil (container garden) and fertilizer, and are all watered regularly.
One year I grew Bradley and that was the one the wasps liked. Bradley is still green, nothing ripe yet. We will see.

August 19, 2021	#1
GreenThumbGal_07 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 300	Why do some get nibbled? I was looking forward to harvesting Old Brooks this afternoon. Thought I saw at least two ripe fruits, one hiding behind some foliage. Picked both, and the first had a bite taken out of it, the second one nearly gone! I believe birds were the culprit in this case. The weather has been really dry and tomatoes offer juice. I hadn't filled the dog's water dish for a few days and perhaps the birds sought out the tomatoes as a water source. However, this variety was the only one pecked at. There were bigger and more succulent tomatoes ripening, but they were ignored. Why this one? It isn't bigger or more attractive, I think. A couple of things do make it different. For one, the fruit has no green shoulders (perhaps this is a recessive trait). For another, and I am not sure this has anything to do with the fruit being pecked at, this is the only plant suffering from chlorosis. I have treated it no differently than the other plants and they have received all the same basic potting soil (container garden) and fertilizer, and are all watered regularly. One year I grew Bradley and that was the one the wasps liked. Bradley is still green, nothing ripe yet. We will see.