Tomato Runway, originally uploaded by espeedy123.
Bring them inside!
Is there any disappointment greater than finding the tomato for which you waited and worked and watched HALF EATEN BY A BIRD!?!?
This sad situation has deflated me more than once. Solutions I have heard about include creating physical barriers like nets, hanging fake snakes, and tieing old CDs near to the plant to blind the birds with sunlight.
The net sounds like a lot of trouble, and I doubt the effectiveness of fakery. The grackels around here seem smart and plentiful. I heard about my solution on the Neil Sperry radio show. Am I allowed to love the Dirt Doctor and still respect Neil???
He suggests bringing the tomatoes in just as they start to turn and letting them ripen on a sunny windowsill.
So far this has worked out great. They seem to turn red in a day or two. These photos are from a week or so ago and I have around 40 newer ones out there now, mainly from a single “Husky Red Cherry” tomato plant. I have been eating a cherry tomato and cucumber salad every day.
I imagine they do not taste quite as nice as straight off the vine, but if I don’t wish to share with the birds this is the best I’ve figured out thus far.
Does anyone else have suggestions for keeping birds out?
6 responses so far ↓
deke // June 20, 2008 at 4:23 pm |
I don’t have bird problems, it’s the insects that do the damage around my garden. Have you had blossom end rot? It’s where the bottom of the tomato turns brown. I’ve had to pull several tomatoes because of this. Suggestions?
deke // June 20, 2008 at 4:25 pm |
You should look at some of those kitties on Craig’s List. They could patrol the garden for you.
Rebecca // June 20, 2008 at 7:49 pm |
I’m having the same issues with grackles that you are… and I think I have an almost identical square foot setup (which has not been working terribly well for me; the tomatoes crushed pretty much all the other plants in the raised beds).
I’ve heard that the birds are really looking for a source of water, and that if you put a birdbath nearby they won’t go for the tomatoes. I’ve also heard of putting nylons over the tomatoes as they’re ripening. But my solution so far has also been to bring them inside. I’ve got about 40 tomatoes ripening on my windowsills! (And really, I haven’t found the taste diminished by it, rather than picking them straight off the vine.)
Andrew // June 22, 2008 at 11:29 pm |
Link to first tomato harvest:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewartemenko/2602347008/
My cucumbers are all weird. They blow up on one end but never quite expand to the other end. They look like mutant question marks.
lifesatrip // June 24, 2008 at 5:18 pm |
I have not had trouble with tomatoes with blossom end rot, but one of my pepper got it. http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Page?SC=LNA7026B&id=5354
Sounds like even watering is the key. Maybe a drip system will help.
Randy in Amarillo // July 7, 2008 at 3:14 am |
I have used inflatable snakes and owls and they seem to work fine if you move them around and don’t allow birds to get used to them in one place.
You can use apples, which emit eythelene gas, to help ripen tomatoes.
Blossom end rot is normally a result of either a calcium deficiency in the soil or uneven moisture (too wet followed by too dry). Remedies might include adding calcium to the soil, in the form of chemicals, or maybe crushed egg shells. To control moisture, use a heavy layer of mulch, 5 – 6 inches, which will also reduce the need for frequent waterings as well as reduce the weeds that can haunt gardens.
I have enjoyed your articles in the paper … Marcie has sent me several. Green thumbs!