Cherry tomatoes are a popular crop, offering a burst of flavor. However, their sweet fruits and tender plants attract various creatures, making protection a common challenge for gardeners. Many animals find cherry tomatoes appealing, turning gardens into an unexpected buffet.
Mammalian Culprits
Mammals frequently threaten cherry tomato plants. Squirrels often bite ripe or green tomatoes, sometimes carrying them away. Raccoons, nocturnal and dexterous, can decimate a patch overnight, leaving half-eaten fruits and scattered debris. They often target low-hanging tomatoes, leaving multiple partially consumed.
Deer may browse on foliage and fruits, especially when other food is scarce. Their damage appears as torn, ragged edges on leaves and stems, and they may eat plant tops, typically at a height of 3-4 feet. Rabbits consume young, tender stems, leaving clean, 45-degree cuts. Rodents like mice, voles, and chipmunks can also damage or remove smaller cherry tomatoes.
Feathered Foragers
Birds are a common group of pests that damage ripening cherry tomatoes. Species like robins, mockingbirds, starlings, and jays peck at the fruit. They create small peck marks or shallow gouges on the surface, often leaving the fruit attached.
Birds are attracted to tomatoes for moisture, especially during dry periods. They may peck at ripe and green tomatoes, and sometimes leaves, in search of water. This pecking can create holes, attracting other pests and causing fruit to rot.
Tiny Invaders
Beyond larger animals, small invaders also cause damage to cherry tomatoes. Tomato hornworms, large green caterpillars, are destructive. They rapidly defoliate plants, leaving chewed leaves, stripped stems, and dark green droppings, and can also scar the fruit.
Slugs and snails leave shiny slime trails and chew ragged holes in leaves, sometimes consuming entire young plants. They are most active at night and thrive in cool, moist conditions. Various beetles can also create small holes in leaves or damage foliage.
Safeguarding Your Harvest
Protecting cherry tomato plants involves a multi-faceted approach. Physical barriers offer effective defense, including fencing for deer and rabbits. Netting or individual bags over ripening fruit can shield tomatoes from birds and insects. Raised garden beds can deter smaller ground-dwelling animals.
Deterrents like motion-activated sprinklers can startle larger pests, while reflective tape or scarecrows deter birds. Good garden hygiene is also important; regularly removing fallen or rotting fruits and plant debris reduces attractants. Companion planting, such as growing basil or marigolds near tomatoes, can repel certain insects and attract beneficial predators.