Last year was stink bugs

[RidgebackRanch]

It could be mice that are eating hole in your tomatoes, had that problem here more than once. If you are not adverse to killing mice set out some traps near your plants. It's worth a shot.

 

[Southern Gardener]

I think I would trade the mocking birds here for your blue jays if you are interested?!

Y'all, I'm such an idiot and I swear it's the heat - 104 for today!!! It's not jays that are the culprits, it's mocking birds - thanks vfem. We have beaucoup jays and I even saw one munching a tomato yesterday and it just didn't register. I have a pair that has a nest nearby and my lab Riley gives them a miserable time - they dive bomb her and she thinks its great fun! Payback is hell, right?

steve, I love the cartoon. I did have a great big boy cat named Tucker - he was a great mouser and kept the birds in check and very sweet. He came up missing last year - I miss that darn cat.

leas, my tomatoes are delish if I say so myself!

 

[Waylon05]

I think I would trade the mocking birds here for your blue jays if you are interested?!

Y'all, I'm such an idiot and I swear it's the heat - 104 for today!!! It's not jays that are the culprits, it's mocking birds - thanks vfem. We have beaucoup jays and I even saw one munching a tomato yesterday and it just didn't register. I have a pair that has a nest nearby and my lab Riley gives them a miserable time - they dive bomb her and she thinks its great fun! Payback is hell, right?

steve, I love the cartoon. I did have a great big boy cat named Tucker - he was a great mouser and kept the birds in check and very sweet. He came up missing last year - I miss that darn cat.

leas, my tomatoes are delish if I say so myself!

I feel like my gardening career has been one big epic battle against blight, stink/leaf-footed bugs and birds. It's generally a losing battle for me, but I have found some techniques to help minimize my losses.

When it comes to birds, mocking birds are the worst (because they are pretty much fearless). Here are some things that help:

1. Hanging owl or hawk decoys - The more often you move them around, the more effective this technique is.

2. Hanging pie pans or wind chimes: This is especially effective when it's windy.

3. Hanging red Christmas tree ornaments and red baseballs: This helps discourage the birds. The more you hang, the more effective this technique is. It also helps if you move your "fake tomatoes" around on a regular basis to keep them guessing.

4. Pick tomatoes as soon as they start "turning": Per Texas A&M, tomatoes that are ripened inside after they start turning should taste as good as those that are fully ripened on the vine. Also, picking tomatoes as soon as they turn should increase yield. Per Texas A&M, tomotoes that are picked before being fully ripe should be ripened indoors as follows: "Never refrigerate tomatoes picked immature. Place them in a single layer at room temperature and allowed them to develop full color. When they are fully ripe, place them in the refrigerator several hours before eating. Those handled in this manner will be of high quality and full flavor."


Texas A&M also suggests the following method to prevent bird damage: "One control method which works quite well is to take old nylon stockings and cut them into pieces 10 to 12 inches long. Tie a knot in one end of the stocking and slip the open end over the entire cluster of tomatoes. Secure the end above the tomato cluster with a rubber band or twist-tie. Birds will not be able to peck through the nylon. Slip the stocking off the cluster and harvest the ripe fruit and replace it to protect later-ripening fruit. Also, birds damage fully mature fruit more readily than breaker or pink fruit. Harvest in breaker or green-wrap stage. Gardeners have tried many ways to reduce bird damage. Scarecrows, aluminum strips, tin foil plates and noisemakers will work until the local birds become accustomed to seeing or hearing them. Fabric covering materials such as Grow-Web and Reemay can also be used as a barrier mechanism."

 

[Southern Gardener]

thanks waylon, I didn't think about the decoys.

We rummaged thru the shed last night and found some Halloween decorations on sticks and stuck them in the garden. It's pretty amusing to see a big white ghost in the middle of my tomatoes! I also hung up every wind chime I have and even hung a two-sided mirror.

We picked 70 tomatoes last night and counted 10 that the birds ruined and 7 that could be salvaged.