Terrible Tomatoes

Today I will tell you about the thing eating my tomatoes. I have nurtured these tomatoes along, watched them turn from yellow flowerets into big, green fruits. I waited patiently for them to turn red, the vine ripened type you rarely get to eat, and I waited with anticipation. Yet something curious happened. One day in the afternoon, I’d see my lovely green tomato. The next morning, instead of being a green turning to red shade, I discovered a giant bite smack dab in the middle of its green bellied flesh. This was an isolated incident I told myself. Each morning, I ran out before work to look at my garden. And each day, more bites. Then disappearances. A mystery that took me a few morning of head shaking. Something was eating my tomatoes!

One by one, whatever this thing is, it gorges itself on the flesh. It’s disgusting really. At first I thought I was out smarting it by leaving the half eaten carcass. If I did that, maybe it would slow it’s progression, but it doesn’t. Some nights, the thing eats two or three. I’ve started picking the tomatoes green so they can ripen. Forget vine ripened! I just want something to show for all the nurturing I’ve done. The terrible thing is the monstrous eater has moved now from the back tomato patch to the giant sprawling heirloom in the front yard–the one that has tomatoes as big as pumpkins. I can’t let it eat those beauties.

What is it? I guess a rat, maybe a ground squirrel. Bird net doesn’t stop it. A big Tom Cat rat trap did nothing. I’ve thought of poisoning my tomatoes like that witch in Snow White, but that seems so wrong. 

Well, I’ll let you know what happens. Here is a picture of the gore. Here’s the green pumpkin tomatoes, too.