The tomato saga

We love tomatoes picked fresh from the vine. They taste like no other tomatoes.
This year we planted early and we are now seeing a lovely crop of beefsteak tomatoes, big, juicy, sweet, tasty!

BUT, too many times when I go to pick one, I find half of it missing, or with bites, and  it totally annoys me and frustrates me.

I checked the internet and look for things that might eat my tomatoes. After looking at pictures, I decided it probably was birds and/or some kind of rodent.

I had not seen squirrels around lately, but there's opposums traveling at night over the wires some times. I narrowed my search to mockingbirds.

I hung faked apples, and CD's to scare the birds away, but still the tomatoes had bites on them and had to be thrown to the trash :(  Then I bought bird netting, and Marvin made a frame around the tomato vines, and we spread the netting over it.

 

 

While we were doing it, Marvin saw a mouse coming from behind the AC and getting in the tomatoes. THE CULPRIT!!!! 

 

So yesterday I went to Home Depot and bought some stuff to get rid of it. We had not seen signs of mice before (no droppings etc), but ever since the tomatoes started to ripen, I had noticed Lulu running to the tomato area and sniffing around. 

 

I hope we have taken care of the problem and we will be able to enjoy our wonderful ripe tomatoes.  Will let you know :)