Picking Fruit Before It Is Ripe

[worth1]

I remember shooting at ground hogs off the side of a hill with a 38 Super back when I was in 4th or 5th grade.
Not with an adult but another kid about 3 years older than me.
Distance was around 100-150 yards and by darn sometimes we would hit one.
If we did and it was a young one we would eat the thing.
Back when I was a kid part of our job was to put meat on the table whether it be a bow and arrow a gun a trap or a fishing rod.
I always had a box trap out in the garden.

[LK2020]

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Well, this is getting serious. I've been worried about my squash and tomatoes, but yesterday I came home from work and found 3 eggplants picked clean off 2 plants. Two of my prized Kamo eggplants that were developing nicely were just ... gone. One was sizing up, the other was a baby. A baby Orient Express also ... gone. Clean cut.

The Kamo plant is in a fabric pot up on boards across sawhorses, near the fence the squirrels like to run along. The other plant is on a low chair, in a fabric pot. I am a little heartbroken, since I love the Kamos, and these are seed-grown plants that I have coddled.

I'm attaching a picture of the Kamo. I picked the one on the lower left, and the one on the upper right is the one that disappeared. The slice on the stem is only a tiny big raggedier than the cut I made, so ... the critter has sharp teeth. I suppose it could be a raccoon. I'm getting tempted to get one of those ring or nest cameras just to see what the critter is.

Since I don't want to kill any critters and shooting it would cause a big stink here in suburban NJ, I'm thinking about making some kind of chicken wire barriers. But I have a dozen eggplants, and probably 30 mostly indeterminate tomatoes, so it's not very practical. Never mind my peppers, even they go for those ... oh, man, I just remembered I found a big Orange Corno pulled off last year, da*n it! This is getting ridiculous ...

I had to give up on my Minnesota Midget Melons because they were getting gnawed up too.

[Setec Astronomy]

I suppose it could be a raccoon. I'm getting tempted to get one of those ring or nest cameras just to see what the critter is.

I had to give up on my Minnesota Midget Melons because they were getting gnawed up too.

I saw a racoon, twice. I suspect there is more than one. I was looking at a Netvue night vision wi-fi camera on Amazon, it was $40...I may have to bite the bullet on that one just to see what is going on, although it seems to be a phone-only app, I'd like to be able to see it from a PC also.

I was able to harvest all my Midget Melons, although one got a little clawed up. The plant is all yellow now, do they just die after the fruit is done?

[LK2020]

I suppose it could be a raccoon. I'm getting tempted to get one of those ring or nest cameras just to see what the critter is.

I had to give up on my Minnesota Midget Melons because they were getting gnawed up too.

I saw a racoon, twice. I suspect there is more than one. I was looking at a Netvue night vision wi-fi camera on Amazon, it was $40...I may have to bite the bullet on that one just to see what is going on, although it seems to be a phone-only app, I'd like to be able to see it from a PC also.

I was able to harvest all my Midget Melons, although one got a little clawed up. The plant is all yellow now, do they just die after the fruit is done?

That's pretty much what would happen the couple of years I grew them, and I had them in containers. They were beautiful plants with tons of gorgeous flowers, and those cute luscious looking melons would develop - if I was lucky, I saved one or two from the critters, and then that was kind of it.

But I have a hard time keeping squash, cuke, or these melon vines going much past the heat of August here in NJ. Also, I think squash bugs/vine borers might like them.

I just spotted another little eggplant trying to grow - I'm still working on making an eggplant jail that will keep the critters out. But for tonight, I tied a sock around it in hope that will deter squirrels if that's what's doing it. I'm sure a raccoon will just carry the whole thing off, though. I'll have to check out the camera you mentioned - I too would like to see what's going on, and from a PC would be lovely.

Meanwhile, I'm picking my tomatoes at first blush to keep them safe!

[LK2020]

This thread prompted me to pick some of my first tomatoes at first color because I don't know what is roaming my backyard picking off my eggplants, and I don't want to give the critters any more opportunity than necessary to maul my fruit. I got my plants in late this year, so I'm feeling especially protective. So three days ago I picked my first Carbon tomato, and it ripened indoors on my window sill incredibly fast! I'm attaching the before and after pics. That emboldened me so when today I discovered a big GGWT hiding - and starting to blush - I picked it too and I'm crossing my fingers that it ripens all right.

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