Finding ripening tomatoes damaged overnight is frustrating, and the answer to whether a possum is the culprit is a definitive yes. Possums are highly adaptable, opportunistic omnivores that readily consume fruit from gardens in both rural and suburban environments. These nocturnal marsupials view a backyard tomato patch as a convenient, high-calorie food source. Understanding why they are drawn to your plants is the first step toward reclaiming your harvest and implementing successful, long-term protection strategies.
Why Possums Target Tomato Plants
The possum’s diet is broad, including insects, small rodents, eggs, and various plant matter. Ripe tomatoes, which contain natural sugars, are a particularly attractive food source because they offer an easily accessible energy boost. This preference for readily available calories drives their scavenging behavior in residential areas.
Beyond the sugar content, tomatoes also serve as an important source of hydration. During hot or dry weather, the water-rich flesh of a ripening tomato provides a simple way for the animal to quench its thirst. This dual appeal of nutrition and water makes a tomato patch a perfect nighttime stop. Once a successful food location is found, the possum will return to it repeatedly.
How to Spot Possum Damage
Identifying a possum requires careful inspection, as many nocturnal animals also forage for tomatoes. A classic sign of possum feeding is the “one-bite-and-move-on” destruction. The animal takes a few large, ragged bites out of a tomato and then moves to the next fruit, ruining multiple tomatoes in a single night. This contrasts with a rodent, which often leaves distinct track marks from its incisor teeth on the remaining fruit.
Possums often start feeding on tomatoes lower on the vine or remove the entire fruit to eat in a secluded location. If you find partially consumed fruit with large, irregular holes, a possum is a very likely suspect. The animal may also leave behind its droppings, which are typically dark, cylindrical, and roughly the size of a cat’s, often found along the trails they use to enter the garden. A possum’s unique rear paw print, featuring a distinct, opposable thumb, can sometimes be found in soft soil near the plants.
Effective Ways to Protect Your Harvest
Physical exclusion is the most reliable method for protecting your tomato harvest, as possums are determined climbers and scavengers. Building a cage or enclosure around your plants using sturdy wire mesh or hardware cloth is highly recommended. This barrier must completely enclose the plants and be secured firmly to the ground to prevent the nocturnal visitor from burrowing underneath.
For less permanent protection, fine-gauge netting secured tightly over a support structure can be used. The netting must be taut to avoid entanglement, which could injure the possum or other wildlife. You can also deter them by modifying the habitat, such as removing potential climbing aids like leaning branches or clutter near the garden. Repellents, such as commercial sprays or homemade mixtures of crushed garlic and hot chili, require frequent reapplication after rain or watering.