Tomato Forest

Cindy planted most of the tomatoes this year in the oldest and largest of the raised beds, and they seem to like that environment.  In fact, the plants have grown so large that it's rapidly becoming a tomato forest.

Some of the plants are even drooping over the sides of the anti-varmint protective panels, and there are already lots of tomatoes forming on the plants.  LOTS of tomatoes.

Which, of course, makes them attractive to varmints.  Yesterday morning I looked out the back window at the bird feeder and saw Big Mama and three of the junior ground squirrels under the feeder stuffing their faces with bird seed.

I don't know what's become of the other four baby squirrels from this litter (see Baby Boom); maybe Mr. Gray Fox is starting to make some in-roads on the pack, but at least three of them are still alive, well and eating everything in sight, including any of the tomatoes and tomatillos they can get at.  We found a half-gnawed green tomato at a gap between the anti-varmint panels around the tomato forest in the largest raised bed; there was just enough room for this tomato to push into, and just enough room for the squirrel to eat about half of it.

Since these tomatoes are all plants Cindy has hand-raised from seed, we need to find a way to plug that gap pronto, or else the squirrel pack will find a way to get in and there really won't be any tomatoes for us.