Disguising The Tomatoes

[GoDawgs]

The birds have been pecking at the tomatoes just when they're about ready to be picked. Smart birds. BUT I'm playing with coffee filter hats, slitting them from the side to the middle and then slipping them over those tomatoes that are almost ripe. These are some Rio Grandes. I picked a few but then covered the ones getting as red as the ones that were pecked.



Maybe if the birds can't see ripening tomatoes they'll leave them alone. Curiously, they don't mess with the yellow/orange ones. Could it be they think they're not ripe? Bwaaaaahahahahahah! FOOLED YOU!

[KarenO]

Picking at blush is the easier option I think. There is no affect on flavour imo and far less risk of damage, splitting, animals etc
KarenO

[brownrexx]

Great idea with the disguise but I also pick mine at first blush to protect them.

[Labradors2]

I've heard that the birds just need a drink and that putting out a bird bath solves the problem of pecked tomatoes. Worth a try!

Linda

[PaulF]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I've heard that the birds just need a drink and that putting out a bird bath solves the problem of pecked tomatoes. Worth a try!

Linda

Maybe that's why we never have birds messing with tomatoes even with lots of birds in the area...three bird baths/waterers.

[GoDawgs]

I've always picked at blush and before they ripen they always have spots and funk develop and get tossed out. Often it looks like anthracnose even though the tomatoes are free of it (at least to the naked eye) when they're brought in. So I'm thinking the only option is to let them get a little farther along in ripening so there's less time between coming in, gathering enough tomatoes to do the canning and then doing the actual canning. The plants also get a regular fungicide spray, mostly Serenade and occasionally Daconil.

I'm tired of seeing all the hard work go to the compost pile so this year I'm trying this. The birds have a bird bath nearby. Last year I put one right at the tomato row. Couldn't be any closer yet they preferred the tomatoes!

[slugworth]

I used cheesecloth ala godfather 1
Plenty of water,they just like to peck my red tomatoes.

[kilroyscarnival]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Maybe if the birds can't see ripening tomatoes they'll leave them alone. Curiously, they don't mess with the yellow/orange ones. Could it be they think they're not ripe? Bwaaaaahahahahahah! FOOLED YOU!

I like the idea - hope it works! I had birds pecking my tomatoes six years ago at the old place, and wish I'd tried more things. I do have some fabric netting if needed, and the homemade cages we just made are a little closer than yours, but we sure do have a lot of birds here and I didn't find any of my winter toms with telltale beak injections in them. I also wonder whether shiny aluminum pie plates might kind of scare them away with the reflected light. Scarecrow? Cat?

[slugworth]

I had to put cheesecloth over my strawberries years ago to keep birds from eating them.
They pecked right through and it ended up looking like a bloody rag.

[Father'sDaughter]

My solution, like others above, is pick at blushing stage, bring them inside, and then laying them out in a single layer on trays out of direct sun where they stay a bit cooler. This seems to give me a slow, even ripening. The best location I've found where they are out of the way is on the fireplace hearth.

[brownrexx]

GoDawgs are you possibly trying to ripen them on a windowsill or other sunny place?

I ripen mine in the kitchen which is air conditioned and out of the sun. They ripen in 2-3 days with no problems.

My DH used to say that they would not as much flavor when ripened this way but last night he just raved over the tomato I gave him for dinner and when I told him that it was ripened indoors he finally agreed with me that it does not negatively impact the flavor.

[GoDawgs]

When I bring them in I put them in flats on the kitchen table. They receive no direct sunlight from the French doors to the right. They usually sit on the other end of the table, which is darker but I moved the flats for more light for the photo.



I read yesterday that they should be rinsed well with water right after bringing them in. That will remove 98% of any bacteria on the tomatoes. I had not been doing that so the ones in the front flat were rinsed well.

Several articles also said to lay them stem side down as test have shown that they have more longevity that way. I already do that.

There are just about enough to can some.

Incidentally, the yellow ones are something we're calling 'Fake Annie' for now. I started two Early Annie plants. EA is a regular leaf. One of the two plants is a lot larger with big potato leaves. Another story for another post in the Dawg Patch!

[brownrexx]

I always wash mine when bringing them inside and I also put them on the counter stem end down.

I never read about that , I just always did it that way.

[JRinPA]

Fake Annie, that sounds like my Fauxpice. Supposed to be stupice, but are RL. That was swap seed and has grown seemingly true.


Have you tried red Christmas balls? Read that here at some point.


I agree stem down. Generally I let them get pretty ripe outside, but some will start to go bad even before they look well ripened. I'll have to consider washing them. I think will have a good bit more tomatoes than I have ever had for canning this year.


BTW disguise/camouflage can be over-rated. This guy had blight spots and all incorporated into his disguise. He still got pecked.

[GoDawgs]

An update:

There were only two red balls in the whole box of Christmas ornaments but they're out there on the tree. Pickles also hung in two spots some extra ant guard cups filled with water from spare hummer feeders. There are still tomatoes getting pecked/chewed/whatever.

The coffee filter covers were removed as they seemed to promote spots forming on tomatoes!

Since the tomatoes have been rinsed well immediately after being picked, the incidence of spots forming seems to have abated a lot.