I've been waiting all season for red tomatoes. Now that I finally have them, the Squirrels are eating them while they're still on the plants.
Some clown posted about some fake ultrasonic device that doesn't really work in another ng.
Does anyone have any real advice about how to stop the squirrels??
thanks!
_____________________________ '00 FXDWG "A couple of the sounds that I really like are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike".
I'd try some chicken-wire type fencing..covering the top too.
Try fox urine or some similar thing from the garden center.
The only thing that I found works with garden pests is a shotgun - I prefer a 16 guage, but a 12 or 20 should work as well.
BTW, I didn't realize squirells went for tomatoes. We have tomatoes and we have squirrels - they ravage our nut trees but I never see them by the tomatoes. Maybe you should try planting a nut tree.
I put a stop to the buggers. I planted Hot Red Mexican Pepper next to the tomato plants. You should see the litter pest going their version of the Hat Dance as they run for the nearest Outhouse.
The 12 gauge works well with the little pest, but the neighbors complain about the noise, the other option is to buy nice tomatoes from your local produce store, I found that last option to be a lot easier one.
Our tomato plants and flower bed have the same kind of visitors. Couple weeks ago I bought my wife a bottle of tabasco sauce, told her to mix it with some water, and she sprinkled it around the plants. No more squirrel so far!
FXDWG wrote:
a motorbike".
But isn't that kinda hard on the tomatoes?
Gold front teeth reject buckshot, so the fatback and tomato buckshot sandwiches are always a flowin'.
I don't know how long this is going to work, but I got a water powered motion detector from Lee Valley Tools.
It's expensive ($85 C$N) and consists of a high speed sprinkler head linked to a battery powered motion sensor, with limited adjustment for sensitivity and range. I got it because my neighbors were housing a very hungry family of 5 raccoons who made a regular trip through my garden every night. Seemed to work for them and caused them to find a new route, but they died/disappeared a few days ago. (Hurray!)
Thus far there is very little squirrel damage to our tomatoes, but they are pretty smart characters, and I don't know how long this will keep them out. When they trigger it, the noise and spray makes them run off - at least for a moment. However I saw one creep in along the top of the fence, then slip down among the foliage of the tomatoes without detection. I think he triggered it on his way out, and he ran. A few minutes later I saw him (or another?) sitting and looking at the garden & sprinkler as if trying to 'sus out' my device. Of course, it may be that with such ample produce available in neighboring yards they will simply not bother with mine. But I suspect these little devils are as perverse as I am, and will be working at decoding the system. The battle continues - maybe I can put Tabasco in the spray.....
Whatever, I never saw a gadget I didn't want to fiddle with, and this one is fun. Only problem is when I forget it's on - it's easy to walk in a circle around it to get to the back of the yard, but I always seem to be preoccupied on the way back and 'SPLAT!'. My wife finds it funny as my expensive 'toy' startles me. . . . . Mike Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner...... James Bovard
On 23 Aug 2004, FXDWG wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
You have my sympathy. They're doing the same thing to me. I've never noticed this happening in previous years. This is in suburban Boston. To add insult to injury, they usually only eat half the tomato and leave it sitting to mock me.
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