Finally, my first vine-ripened tomatoes of the season! I already picked two blushing, green ones to ripen on the counter, but these two are the real deal. One Mountain Sunrise and one Caiman. These are the first two that I harvested after covering whatever the rats left on the vines with those wire mesh bags. It seems to be working. I hope to get at least a few handfuls from my 12 plants.
We are having a major rat problem in the community garden this year. They are decimating the tomatoes. Even the unripe, green ones. There are bait stations in and surrounding the garden, but with the abundance of fresh food, the rats do not seem to bother with the bait.
Everyone’s plot is affected. We always have some losses, but this year, we reached a different level. About a week ago, another gardener gave me a couple of nylon mesh bags. I assumed the rats might just “juice” the tomatoes right through the bag, but it was worth a try.
The nylon bags have been working so far but they are small. I was trying to take one bag off today, and accidentally pulled the tomato, which had grown and was now stuck inside (it was the tomato from the picture above; all the other tomatoes in the picture had disappeared).
I also ordered wire mesh bags to cover individual tomatoes. They finally came today. I installed about 15 or so – all the tomatoes I have currently left. It’s just sad. Fingers crossed I can save at least a few handfuls of tomatoes.
