A frustrating / discouraging season

CrazyAboutOrchids · August 24, 2012

I knew at the start that I would have a challenge this year; after growing organically for many years with no problems but having a lot of foliage on my plants last year, I decided to do a soil test and started the season with an abundance of nitrogen. Folks here helped me figure out how to fertilize it properly, but I still knew I'd have issues.

Started out my seeds indoors, babied them, loved them daily, got all excited and then got delayed at plant out time by a streak of cold weather. We had hot dry temps on and off all season, followed by a deluge of rain. At the start of the season, I suffered from blossom drop due to the 100 degree days we kept having. I finally set tomatoes despite the odd conditions for my area this year.

We went on vacation, came back to a complete jungle of plants. We sat and watched green tomatoes for ages it seemed, finally sitting down to our first ripe one the beginning of August. Not even my cherries have been ripening. Unfortunately, the chipmunks have been having a party in the garden this year and they've eaten more than us. From 11 plants (2 cherries), we've only been able to pick 13 tomatoes - not counting the handful of Sungolds - I pulled 7 half eaten tomatoes just this morning. They also ate every single one of the eggplant from my 12 plants.

Thankfully, we have a friend who simply buys Home Depot hybrids and has supplied us with tomatoes - she is havign a bumper crop this year, go figure - but at least I have tomatoes to can. I'll be bottling beets tomorrow; they did really well these past two years. We've had a ton of jalapenos - more than 50 from 2 small plants - but no tomatoes for salsa. We were able to enjoy purple pole and bush beans, lettuce, spinach and broccoli earlier and am now getting beautiful Trombonicno squash; including a 28 inch monster that I picked today.

I only have a small garden; 20 x 30 with raised beds, so am limited to what I can grow. Between the chipmunks, the cucumber beetles which took out my cucumbers, the squash bugs that decimated my spaghetti squash - I really feel defeated. I feel like blasting everything that moves next year. I'm setting out rat traps tomorrow in hopes of trying to get something for my time and troubles. Quite discouraged....

habitat_gardener · August 24, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyAboutOrchids

... Unfortunately, the chipmunks have been having a party in the garden this year and they've eaten more than us...

Are they eating the tomatoes before they're ripe? I learned to pick my tomatoes at first blush the first time I found bites in my tomatoes. As long as the tomato is starting to show some color, it will ripen fully indoors, and I can't tell the difference in flavor.

Mandy97 · August 24, 2012

I am having a battle with the chipmunks as well. If you figure out a way, please share. My husband is convinced we just have to run chicken wire into the ground and around the entire garden. Currently they are eating about half of my incoming... and they sometimes just bite into them when they are still green, so they can't ripen.

Good luck! Everyone has bad years, and I'm sure it'll get better next year - and you can hopefully get a few more techniques here to help you!

CrazyAboutOrchids · August 24, 2012

Mine never get to first blush, the chipmunks chow on them green. I did try putting moth balls around the outside of the garden, yes I know the issues with moth balls - I am desperate here. It worked one night and then they just ignored them so I picked them all up.

I am going to buy rat traps and bate them with tomatoes. I'll let you know if it works.

I only have 9 heirlooms and 2 cherries; they are getting at least 4 tomatoes per day, today was ridiculous as they munched 7! I've left the partially eaten tomatoes on the vine, but they never come back for more of the same, it just attracts an unbelievable amount of fruit flies!

I did pull a ripe kosovo that weighed in at 1 lb. The tomatoes just are not the same when they are not allowed to finish on the vines. They don't last the same, they don't taste the same. The chipmunks do have a hankering for the Orange Minsk; or the OM is just more plentiful than some of my plants. I haev decided if I don't get at least one tomato to try, the plant isn't coming back. Dr. Lyle will not be in my garden again next year; just hasn't produced hardly anything. I need something that can keep up. Orange Minsk, Sungold and Kosovo will return.

lakelady · August 25, 2012

Oh boy, I probably could have dropped a bunch of tomatoes off to you this week on the way to or from Maine! I spent an awful lot of time driving through Connecticut lol....

I too have the chipmunks from you know where. Mostly they ate the tomatoes at signs of blush but they ate some green too. I probably lost 4 or 5 dozen tomatoes to them. At first it was the cherries, and I was okay with that, but when they turned to the beefsteaks, all bets were off. Oddly they didn't touch my hearts much, and the Danko is low to the ground.

I ended up eliminating them,as much as it hurt me to do it because I'm an animal lover, they were taking food from my family, so it was them or me. Could have been a squirrel or two also, but I rarely see one in my yard, and the munks run rampant in my rock walls.

They didn't do much damage inside the main garden where I have "loose" chickenwire (just tied to tposts, so it wiggles if they try to climb it, they d on't like that), but I can't chicken wire the whole yard so they went to town everywhere else.

Danko, Mule Team, Legend didn't attract them as much as some others and gave me great harvests. Also, they didn't seem to like the ribbed tomatoes like Russo Togetta for some reason.

deerhunter · August 26, 2012

you need to get rid of the chipmunks there, they breed like crazy and there will be more next year. mouse traps with peanut butter will get a few. or purchase some small hav a heart traps from amazon. set them along side of the house foundation or shed near the garden or any where that you think thier running. don't need no bait. when you get em put the trap in a 5 gal bucket of water. walk away. no fuss no muss. got rid of most of mine this way with alot of mice and moles. tomato problem solved.

August 24, 2012	#1
CrazyAboutOrchids Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Zone 6 - CT Posts: 155	A frustrating / discouraging season I knew at the start that I would have a challenge this year; after growing organically for many years with no problems but having a lot of foliage on my plants last year, I decided to do a soil test and started the season with an abundance of nitrogen. Folks here helped me figure out how to fertilize it properly, but I still knew I'd have issues. Started out my seeds indoors, babied them, loved them daily, got all excited and then got delayed at plant out time by a streak of cold weather. We had hot dry temps on and off all season, followed by a deluge of rain. At the start of the season, I suffered from blossom drop due to the 100 degree days we kept having. I finally set tomatoes despite the odd conditions for my area this year. We went on vacation, came back to a complete jungle of plants. We sat and watched green tomatoes for ages it seemed, finally sitting down to our first ripe one the beginning of August. Not even my cherries have been ripening. Unfortunately, the chipmunks have been having a party in the garden this year and they've eaten more than us. From 11 plants (2 cherries), we've only been able to pick 13 tomatoes - not counting the handful of Sungolds - I pulled 7 half eaten tomatoes just this morning. They also ate every single one of the eggplant from my 12 plants. Thankfully, we have a friend who simply buys Home Depot hybrids and has supplied us with tomatoes - she is havign a bumper crop this year, go figure - but at least I have tomatoes to can. I'll be bottling beets tomorrow; they did really well these past two years. We've had a ton of jalapenos - more than 50 from 2 small plants - but no tomatoes for salsa. We were able to enjoy purple pole and bush beans, lettuce, spinach and broccoli earlier and am now getting beautiful Trombonicno squash; including a 28 inch monster that I picked today. I only have a small garden; 20 x 30 with raised beds, so am limited to what I can grow. Between the chipmunks, the cucumber beetles which took out my cucumbers, the squash bugs that decimated my spaghetti squash - I really feel defeated. I feel like blasting everything that moves next year. I'm setting out rat traps tomorrow in hopes of trying to get something for my time and troubles. Quite discouraged....

August 25, 2012	#5
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Oh boy, I probably could have dropped a bunch of tomatoes off to you this week on the way to or from Maine! I spent an awful lot of time driving through Connecticut lol.... I too have the chipmunks from you know where. Mostly they ate the tomatoes at signs of blush but they ate some green too. I probably lost 4 or 5 dozen tomatoes to them. At first it was the cherries, and I was okay with that, but when they turned to the beefsteaks, all bets were off. Oddly they didn't touch my hearts much, and the Danko is low to the ground. I ended up eliminating them,as much as it hurt me to do it because I'm an animal lover, they were taking food from my family, so it was them or me. Could have been a squirrel or two also, but I rarely see one in my yard, and the munks run rampant in my rock walls. They didn't do much damage inside the main garden where I have "loose" chickenwire (just tied to tposts, so it wiggles if they try to climb it, they d on't like that), but I can't chicken wire the whole yard so they went to town everywhere else. Danko, Mule Team, Legend didn't attract them as much as some others and gave me great harvests. Also, they didn't seem to like the ribbed tomatoes like Russo Togetta for some reason. __________________ Antoniette

August 24, 2012	#3
Mandy97 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Paw Paw MI Posts: 89	I am having a battle with the chipmunks as well. If you figure out a way, please share. My husband is convinced we just have to run chicken wire into the ground and around the entire garden. Currently they are eating about half of my incoming... and they sometimes just bite into them when they are still green, so they can't ripen. Good luck! Everyone has bad years, and I'm sure it'll get better next year - and you can hopefully get a few more techniques here to help you!

August 26, 2012	#6
deerhunter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: hopkinton ma. Posts: 70	you need to get rid of the chipmunks there, they breed like crazy and there will be more next year. mouse traps with peanut butter will get a few. or purchase some small hav a heart traps from amazon. set them along side of the house foundation or shed near the garden or any where that you think thier running. don't need no bait. when you get em put the trap in a 5 gal bucket of water. walk away. no fuss no muss. got rid of most of mine this way with alot of mice and moles. tomato problem solved.