Everything is slowing down in the garden, except the squirrels
Posted on September 19th, 2007 – 10:24 AMBy Jaime Chismar
It takes about two months for a for a 1.5-pound Hungarian Heart to reach maturity, but it only takes two seconds for a 1.5-pound squirrel to tear your tomatoes — and your dreams of one last batch of homemade salsa — to shreds.
Like Robyn, I’m just about ready to give up on this growing season. My heart can’t take another partially devoured Hungarian Heart.
I’ve heard that squirrels are actually quite intelligent and learn from their mistakes. But seriously — How many times do you need to bite into a tomato to figure out “Gee, this near-ripe fruit just isn’t as tasty as acorns.”
Grrrr…
6 Responses to "Everything is slowing down in the garden, except the squirrels"
I don’t mind sharing, but how about they eat an entire tomato before starting in the others? 
Sometimes I’m desperate enough to use the unmolested half of a tomato like that. Just cut widely around the damaged part of the fruit, and rinse the remainder before slicing it up.
I am so tempted, Peter…
I won’t tell anyone.
I have to agree with Peter, tomatos that good should not be wasted completely on furry tree rats. What tomato diners don’t know about that other half can remain a secret in the kitchen. At our house we have resorted to picking the fruit before it ripens fully because just before it does the rotten rodents taste test each one. It’s enough to make one get a slingshot and a handful of acorns to show them what they should be eating instead.
I actually threw the rest of a half squirrel eaten tomato at a squirrel the other day. “You want a tomato? I’ll give you a tomato!”
It was not my proudest moment, but it did feel good to see that little sucker scramble off the roof and out of the way.
Greengirls Jaime Chismar, Connie Nelson, and Robyn Dochterman are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
You can also send your questions, ideas, tips and tricks to greengirls@startribune.com.
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