Something is eating my tomatoes and peppers
by
Sonja
it's not a tomato warm, and it's taking my peppers also. It looks like teeth marks on the tomato. My neighbor said it might be a raccoon, or mice, or rat. Help me please. Thank you
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Set some mouse traps bailed with peanut butter. If it is a mouse, you may catch it, anything bigger and the snap should scare it away for a while. I do it with rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks. Try putting down some cayenne pepper powder and shredded Irish Spring Soap for good measure. Between the irritation and the stron smell, it may help keep them away. Good luck!
Do you have tomato cages around your plants? If not they are fairly inexpensive. Also, are these plants in the ground or containers? Either way you can also surround the tomato cages with chicken wire, but be sure to get and smallest size hole (5/8" or smaller, if available). The 1" is too big and has a tendency to be rather flimsy, as well. I have mine in containers which gets them up off the ground and also elevates them as well making them harder to be reached by critters. Raccoons are very clever and good at figuring out complicated deterrent tactics so you might have to get a large "live trap" and bait it to capture the little guy/gal.
It is awful something is eating your garden.
If you have a nanny cam you could set that up to see what is invading, that would give you specifics on what critter it is and what to do in response.
Mice would be after more of the grain/corn crops. It could be a squirrel-they take a bite of tomatoes and run off, ruining it. A raccoon or a rat are 2 possibilities remaining from your list. Consider a groundhog, they can cause this type of damage.
Traps are a good option along with fencing. We have started using raised gardens to keep them out for the most part. If you go on Amazon they have lots of fencing (many sizes and lengths with as many degrees of thickness and hole dimensions) you can look at. Plus they deliver promptly.
I have learned that if people are feeding "wildlife" such as putting up a birdfeeder or throw out old bread to a passing by animal, it is a draw for others to follow. I had to stop all of that. I hated to waste and wanted to share the leftovers with something that was hungry, in need, I created a problem for myself.