Do Chipmunks Eat Green Tomatoes ?

[Nyboy]

One of my guys has a small vegetable garden at end of parking lot. Something is stealing his tomatoes I don't think it is a person. Past couple of years the chipmunk population has exploded here. Can they be the thief ?

 

[dickiebird]

If you fry them I'll eat em, chipmunks, that is!!!

THANX RICH

 

[Collector]

Not sure, my neighbor up the hill has killed 23 this year ,he has had a population explosion up there. He says they are eating his garden and even the flowers around his yard. They are cute rodents so I say kill them all.

 

[Nyboy]

Rich must be like quail 2 bites finished

 

[Nyboy]

Never had a problem with them, large colony of feral cats kept them in check. Then cats where on coyote dinner menu .

 

[jackb]

We have had a chipmunk we named Simon livng under our deck for five years now. He is so tame he comes when you call his name for a free hand out, so I have been giving him sunflower seeds and he even has his own drinking cup. Last year he got me mad by chewing all the olives off my trees just before I was ready to pick them. I trapped him and moved him to the Frear Park golf course. (see map) Three days later he was back just like he never left. I recognized him by the little knick out of his left ear, and he still came when I called him. We decided to leave him alone, as there were not many olives this year so there he stayed, until today. Somthing has been eating holes in both my red and green tomatoes so I put the trail camera out to see what critter was the culprit. Much to my surprise the culprit was Simon, and I never thought chipmunks bothered tomatoes. Today I trapped him again and dropped him off at a little league park several miles from here, and his new address is RFD Cropysville, NY. The only problem is, is as he ran toward the woods I think I heard him shout over his shoulder: "I'll race you home!"
jackb

 

[Collector]

We have had a chipmunk we named Simon livng under our deck for five years now. He is so tame he comes when you call his name for a free hand out, so I have been giving him sunflower seeds and he even has his own drinking cup. Last year he got me mad by chewing all the olives off my trees just before I was ready to pick them. I trapped him and moved him to the Frear Park golf course. (see map) Three days later he was back just like he never left. I recognized him by the little knick out of his left ear, and he still came when I called him. We decided to leave him alone, as there were not many olives this year so there he stayed, until today. Somthing has been eating holes in both my red and green tomatoes so I put the trail camera out to see what critter was the culprit. Much to my surprise the culprit was Simon, and I never thought chipmunks bothered tomatoes. Today I trapped him again and dropped him off at a little league park several miles from here, and his new address is RFD Cropysville, NY. The only problem is, is as he ran toward the woods I think I heard him shout over his shoulder: I'll race you home!
jackb

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We had one show up at our last house. And within a months time we had about ten running around the place. They started chewing and eating on everything in sight. Luckily our house cat figured out how to catch them and they disappeared quickly. The next spring we had sunflowers popping up all over the place lol. Saturday our cat showed up with one on the deck. Great they found us!

 

[thistlebloom]

We have had a chipmunk we named Simon livng under our deck for five years now. He is so tame he comes when you call his name for a free hand out, so I have been giving him sunflower seeds and he even has his own drinking cup. Last year he got me mad by chewing all the olives off my trees just before I was ready to pick them. I trapped him and moved him to the Frear Park golf course. (see map) Three days later he was back just like he never left. I recognized him by the little knick out of his left ear, and he still came when I called him. We decided to leave him alone, as there were not many olives this year so there he stayed, until today. Somthing has been eating holes in both my red and green tomatoes so I put the trail camera out to see what critter was the culprit. Much to my surprise the culprit was Simon, and I never thought chipmunks bothered tomatoes. Today I trapped him again and dropped him off at a little league park several miles from here, and his new address is RFD Cropysville, NY. The only problem is, is as he ran toward the woods I think I heard him shout over his shoulder: "I'll race you home!"
jackb

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That's a great story Jack.

 

[jackb]

As much as I hate to write this, but Simon may have been banished for something he did not do, because this morning I found another tomato with the long narrow gouge in it, and this tomato was higher on the plant. The trail camera did not actually catch Simon in the act, but he was the only critter near the plants, except for, pause for dramatic effect, a robin. Simon did go beneath the plants to snack on an occasional slug though. A trip to the local Agway for consultation resulted in finding the worse culprits are BIRDS!
I purchased and installed nettiing over the plants, which was a simple ten minute process. The netting is stapled to the fence, draped over the plants and held down with bamboo canes interwoven into the netting. The canes will allow easy access to the plants by simply lifting them to pick the fruit. That said, thankfully the greenhouse is producing quite a few tomatoes, enough to keep us supplied while the garden plants recover. Sorry Simon.

 

[ninnymary]

Awww...go back and call Hear Simon, Simon.

Mary