The best way to protect your tomatoes from raccoons is to be preemptive and stop them from nesting in your yard in the first place. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'wildlifeinformer_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_7',105,'0','0']));Chipmunks can be adorable additions to your backyard wildlife, but can also pose plenty of problems when gardening. Hi, my name is Jesse and I'm the guy behind Wildlife Informer. Rabbits generally feed during the evening, night or early morning. Placing a fake snake or owl nearby can also sometimes do the trick, but squirrels can become acclimated to anything relatively quickly and the position and type of animal should be changed frequently. The animals sometimes chew the stems and leaves, or they may just eat through the stems, leaving a severed tomato plant. Fencing is a major project because a fence that keeps deer out of a garden must be at least 9 feet tall. The best deterrent is a dog – both the scent and the barking are good ways to ensure deer don’t return for your tomatoes. Place the lowest strands at 4 inches, with additional strands at 9 inches and about 15 to 18 inches. How Often do Corn Snakes Shed Their Skin. 0. Because squirrels and chipmunks are agile gymnasts, they are hard to control. Voles can cause considerable damage to tomato plants and are a common pest for backyard gardeners. Destroying the tunnels is one of the best ways to discourage voles. They’ve also been known to eat the fruit and seedlings as well, usually during the evening, night, and early morning. Maybe. To discourage raccoons from visiting your neighborhood, keep pet food indoors and cover garbage cans tightly. Animals Eating My Tomato Plants. The sort of tomato plant ‘predators’ you find in Texas may be a little different than ‘predators’ of tomato plants in North Dakota. Local Birds. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This can be frustrating, but no real damage is caused to the crop and they’re relatively neat. The Plants in My Flower Garden Are Dying, and There Are Holes Around Them, Home Remedies to Keep Rabbits Out of the Garden. Woodchucks are messy eaters that often trample the tomato plant in the process of eating the tomatoes. Trapping is illegal in many states, and releasing animals in another area may also be illegal. Surrounding the tomato patch with an electric rabbit fence is also a possible solution. They usually feed in the early morning and only eat the tomatoes, preferring to leave the main part of the plant alone. Trapping is dangerous and best left to professionals because many animals, including raccoon and squirrels, can carry rabies. It’s recommended to let a local professional do it as humanely as possible. She is an Oregon State University Master Gardener and Master Naturalist and holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction writing. Squirrels, like chipmunks, are also agile gymnasts and able to maneuver through the air and up your plants with ease. Woodchucks are difficult to control because they live in burrows with mounds at the entrance of the holes. This has the added benefit of those predators keeping the populations of other species on this list down as well. As an incredibly agile jumper and climber, they can be difficult to control since they can jump over many fences. The best way to discourage voles is by destroying their local tunnels; they’re usually located in leaves or grassy areas near the garden. These garden pests are relatively neat eaters that will rip off chunks of leaves without leaving behind any jagged edges. An animal is eating tomato plants in my garden. It can be frustrating when tomatoes get eaten after working so hard on the garden, but thankfully there are many ways to prevent damage to your plants and the animals that want them. Signs Squirrels are Eating Tomatoes. They’re especially common if your garden is close to a wooded area, as they prefer to make homes in fallen logs and leaf piles. The traps are banned in most states. Rabbits, one of the most common animals that eat tomato plants, are a regular forager of gardens. Often, evidence that voles are eating your plants are narrow grooves in the leaves, which are created by the animal's two front teeth. This is only short term as deer are surprisingly intelligent and can become accustomed to unusual smells. If you see more top-down … Chipmunks are omnivores and love both nuts and seeds, which unfortunately are abundant in your tomato patch. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'wildlifeinformer_com-box-4','ezslot_9',109,'0','0']));Placing a mesh “cage” over your tomato plants, similar to how you squirrel proof a bird feeder, is recommended if they become a large enough problem. A wire cage placed over the tomato plant may be the best solution. Dyer began her writing career as a staff writer at a community newspaper and is now a full-time commercial writer. Raccoons are considered the most intelligent of the garden pests, even if the tree squirrel isn’t far behind. Preemptive measures are best, such as providing other alternate options, strong-smelling deodorants, and fake predators to deter smaller animals. Voles live in tunnels, usually located in leaves or grassy areas near the garden. How do I Use Electric Fence to Prevent Chewing? They also eat the fruit and may strip young seedlings down to the ground. They’re wily and surprisingly fast underground, so the only reliable option is to trap and relocate them. Depending on your location, local birds could be the culprit. M.H. Is it an animal chowing down on your precious tomato plants? Should this continue being a problem, electric rabbit fences are a popular deterrent – they consist of two wires that lightly shock the rabbits’ ears, which startles but doesn’t injure them. 20 Insect Eating Plants With Pictures and Names, 13 Plants That Keep Animals Out Of Gardens, Birds with Long Beaks (24 Species With Pictures), 32 Birds of Prey in Montana (With Pictures and Facts), 8 Exotic Pets That Can Be House Trained (With Pictures). They live in grassy areas and don't travel far, usually feeding near their burrows. A deer will only taste it, sipping off one young branch or two, perhaps merely stripping off the leaves. This is a guide about animals eating my tomato plants. When we set out our tomato plants, an animal ate 6 of them to the ground. They’re notoriously difficult to control, as they’re avid climbers with dexterous hands. Answer + 7. Obviously the type of animals that eat tomato plants depends on where the tomato plants are. Got deer problems? Ever since I was a kid I've loved learning about wildlife. Birds - and, in my case, it was one of my dogs. Trap and release isn't always as humane as it sounds because moving animals away from their home territory often results in death to the animal.