Tomato Protection From Squirrels

Squirrel Repellants

• There are a number of spray repellents on the market that claim to keep squirrels at bay. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t. Some of these repellents work because they make the tomatoes taste bad when the squirrel bites into them; however, if you have a persistent squirrel, they will just keep biting into new fruits in hopes of finding one that tastes good. Other repellents work by using animal urine. The way these work is they contain the actual urine of a natural predator. When the squirrels smell the scent, it scares them away; however, the urine must be applied frequently to be effective and does not work once it gets wet.

Fence Them Out

• Fencing the area around your tomato patch with hardware cloth or electric fence is another option, but do yourself a favor and make a cage large enough to walk into. Don’t forget that squirrels climb and jump, so a high fence will not keep them out unless you put a top on it. Electric fences are great, but they can pose some problems. The first thing you need is either electricity or a solar panel to electrify the fence. Choose an electric fence made for keeping animals out of the garden since that type of fence is made like a net. Normal electric fence, such as that used for livestock won’t work since the squirrels can easily go under or between the electric wires. Consider, too, that if you bump against the fence, you will get a slight electric shock.

Feed Them

• Create a garden just for them or set up squirrel feeders in an area that is as far away from your tomato patch as possible. If you can figure out the path the squirrels prefer and set the area up along that path it will make it easier for them to find the diversion. Plant a big patch of sunflowers and let the squirrels and birds harvest the seeds. Nut trees are another good diversion. They are messy when the nuts fall, so plant them away from buildings and driveways. Most of the time the squirrels will carry off the nuts, so if you intend to harvest some of the nuts for your own use, get out there as soon as they begin to fall off the tree.

Throw Them Off

• Odd-colored tomatoes such as those that are purple, black, orange or yellow often detour squirrels. They don’t know what they are because the tomatoes don’t look the same to them. These tomatoes taste slightly different – sometimes they are sweeter, meatier tasting or have a robust flavor that typical red tomatoes do not have. You can eat these tomatoes fresh; can, freeze or dehydrate them; or use them in any other way you would red tomatoes. Odd-colored tomatoes are often hard to find in the stores, so plan to grow them from seed.