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Re: What's eating my tomatoes?

Possums,  thats what could be eating your tomatoes.
Could also be squirrels.

Charlie in Alabama


At 12:38 PM 7/12/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi everyone,
>I've got a serious tomatoe problem.  Somethings eating them before I can.
>And worst of all, whatever is doing it, is also spreading disease.  I had 6
>really great plants until a couple of weeks ago.  I went on vacation and
>when I came back I found that something was attacking my poor plants.  As
>soon as the fruits started to turn red, something started taking bites out
>of them.  In two days a tomatoe thats 5" across is nothing but a few pieces
>of skin on the ground.  I thought it was slugs but after today I'm not sure.
>I found some tomatoes with what looked like teeth marks.  Do slugs have
>teeth?  <grin>
>I've spread so much diatomaes (sorry for the spelling) earth, that it looks
>like snow (I spread a thin layer over the ground, wall, and bottom sections
>of stalks and leaves), and nothing is working.  I finally got frustrated and
>pulled all 6 plants. I refuse to feed what ever is eating them.  Nothing can
>rippen without being attacked.  The stalks were also looking infected with a
>white fungus and starting to look bad. At first I figured it had to be
>slugs.  The plants were getting lots of air circulation so I figured the
>fungus was caused (or made worse) by slime trails.  I had also the same
>problem last year and found slugs last year (horrible 5"-6" long scary
>looking things). I thought I had cleaned up all the possible hiding places.
>But now teeth marks?
>We also have these big emerald green beetles flying around.  I've been
>fighting the grubs of these things in my compost pile and back yard.  I've
>never noticed them eating my plants but they must eat something.
>Which might be the culprit?  Or should I worry about someother garden
>monster?  This years a bust but I want to be prepared for next year.  I'm in
>So. Calif.  Can I do a fall and winter crop?  Should I start the seeds now?
>Shawn W. and John Orick (and all the other SO. Calif. gardeners) your advice
>would be appreciated.
>Dawn S.
>Super Sad in CA
>Long Beach (zone 10)
>
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>

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