Squirrels damage tomatoes by gnawing on fruit and digging in soil

Squirrels eat tomatoes for the same reason you do—they're soft, juicy, and full of seeds. A squirrel will bite into a ripe tomato, take a few bites, and move on to the next one, leaving you with half-eaten fruit that rots before you can harvest it. They also dig in the soil around tomato plants to bury and retrieve nuts, which can loosen roots and expose seedlings.

The damage is usually worst in late summer and early fall, when squirrels are building up food stores for winter and your tomatoes are at peak ripeness. A single squirrel can ruin a dozen tomatoes in a week. The good news is that squirrels are creatures of habit—they follow the same paths and visit the same plants on a schedule. Once you interrupt that routine, they usually move on to easier food sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Physical barriers like cages and netting are the most reliable way to stop squirrels, because they work whether or not the squirrel is hungry or distracted.
  • Squirrels avoid strong smells like capsaicin (hot pepper), garlic, and predator urine, but these deterrents fade after rain or a few weeks and need reapplication.
  • Removing nearby food sources—fallen fruit, bird seed, and nut-bearing trees—makes your tomatoes less attractive by comparison.
  • Live trapping and relocation is legal in some places and illegal in others; check your local wildlife regulations before you trap.
  • Decoy plants and sacrificial fruit planted away from your main garden can redirect squirrel damage to a spot you don't care about.

Build a physical barrier around individual plants or the whole bed

A cage or enclosure stops squirrels completely because it removes the choice—they cannot reach the fruit no matter how hungry they are. The simplest option is a tomato cage made of sturdy wire or plastic, which you install around the plant as it grows. A standard cage is about 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Squirrels can climb cages, but they cannot easily grip the thin wires to pull themselves up, and they cannot chew through metal.

For a whole bed, build or buy a raised garden enclosure with a roof. This is a wooden or metal frame with hardware cloth (a wire mesh finer than chicken wire) stapled to all sides and the top. Hardware cloth has openings small enough to keep squirrels out but large enough to let light and water through. The roof is essential—squirrels will jump onto an open-top cage and reach down to the plants. Leave one side hinged so you can open it to harvest and water.

If a full enclosure is too much work, bird netting draped over the plant and anchored to the ground works for individual tomatoes. Use netting with holes no larger than half an inch. Anchor the edges with soil, rocks, or landscape pins so squirrels cannot squeeze underneath. Check the netting every few days to make sure it has not sagged onto the fruit—netting that touches a tomato gives squirrels a foothold.

explore capsaicin spray or other smell-based deterrents

Capsaicin is the compound that makes hot peppers hot. Squirrels hate the taste and smell. You can buy capsaicin spray at garden centers under brand names like Critter Ridder or Bonide, or make your own by blending hot peppers with water and straining the solids. Spray the fruit, stems, and leaves every 7 to 10 days, or after rain washes it away.

Other smell deterrents include garlic spray (blend garlic cloves with water), predator urine (coyote or fox urine sold in garden stores), and ammonia-soaked rags hung near the plants. Predator urine works because squirrels instinctively avoid areas where larger animals hunt. Reapply these deterrents after rain and every 2 to 3 weeks as they break down in sunlight.

Smell deterrents work best as a first line of defense on plants that are not yet ripe. Once a squirrel has already eaten from a plant, it knows the food is there and may ignore the smell. Combine smell deterrents with a physical barrier for the best results.

Remove competing food sources nearby

Squirrels visit your garden because it is convenient. If you remove easier food sources, your tomatoes become less attractive by comparison. Pick up fallen fruit and nuts from under trees every day. Do not leave bird seed on the ground—use feeders with baffles that squirrels cannot climb, or remove feeders during tomato season. Cover compost piles so squirrels cannot dig for scraps.

If you have nut-bearing trees like oaks or walnuts on your property, you cannot remove them, but you can rake up nuts regularly and dispose of them away from your garden. Squirrels will still visit to bury new nuts, but they will spend less time there if the pickings are slim.

This approach works slowly—it takes a few weeks for squirrels to learn that your garden is not the best food source—but it addresses the root cause rather than just the symptom. Combine it with a physical barrier on your tomatoes while the squirrels are learning.

Use live traps if local regulations allow it

Live trapping lets you catch a squirrel and relocate it far from your garden. Check your local wildlife regulations first—some states and counties require a permit, some prohibit relocation entirely, and some require you to contact a licensed wildlife control operator. Call your county wildlife office or animal control to ask what is legal in your area.

If trapping is allowed, use a one-way door trap or a cage trap baited with peanuts or sunflower seeds. Place the trap along the squirrel's regular path to your garden, not directly on the plant. Check the trap daily—a trapped squirrel can overheat or become stressed. Once you catch one, transport it at least 5 miles away (farther is better) to a wooded area with food and water. Relocating a squirrel close to your home usually means it will return or another squirrel will take its place.

Trapping works for one or two problem squirrels, but if you have a large squirrel population, you will catch one and another will arrive within days. Use trapping as part of a larger strategy that includes barriers and removing food sources.

Plant decoy tomatoes or sacrificial crops away from your main garden

Squirrels are not picky—they will eat any ripe tomato. Plant a few tomato plants in a separate area, away from your main garden, and let them ripen without protection. Squirrels will find these plants and eat from them instead of traveling to your protected tomatoes. This works best if the decoy plants are between your main garden and a natural squirrel habitat like a wooded area or a neighbor's property.

You can also plant sacrificial crops that squirrels prefer to tomatoes, like corn, sunflowers, or pumpkins. Squirrels will eat the kernels and seeds before they move on to fruit. Plant these at the edge of your property, away from your tomatoes.

This method does not eliminate squirrel damage—it redirects it. You lose the decoy plants but save your main crop. It works best on larger properties where you have space to spare.

Combine methods for the best protection

No single method works 100 percent of the time. A physical barrier stops squirrels completely but requires setup and maintenance. Smell deterrents are straightforward to explore but fade quickly. Removing food sources takes time to work. The most reliable approach is to layer methods: use a cage or netting on your tomatoes, spray with capsaicin every 10 days, pick up fallen fruit, and plant decoys away from your main garden.

Start with the barrier—it is the only method that works when ready and in all conditions. Add smell deterrents and food removal as backup. If you still see damage after two weeks, consider live trapping if it is legal in your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will squirrels eat green tomatoes or only ripe ones?

Squirrels strongly prefer ripe tomatoes because they are softer and sweeter. They will eat green tomatoes if they are very hungry or if ripe fruit is scarce, but this is less common. Protect your tomatoes most carefully once they start to turn color.

Can I use mothballs or ultrasonic devices to keep squirrels away?

Mothballs are toxic to pets and children and do not reliably deter squirrels. Ultrasonic devices have not been shown to work in independent tests. Physical barriers and smell deterrents are more effective and safer.

What if squirrels are digging in my soil but not eating the tomatoes?

They are burying nuts or looking for grubs. Cover the soil around your plants with hardware cloth or landscape fabric pinned to the ground. This stops them from digging without blocking water and air from reaching the roots. You can also lay chicken wire flat on the soil and cut holes for the tomato stems.

Do I need to remove the cage before the tomato plant gets too big?

Yes. As the plant grows, it will outgrow the cage and branches will poke through the wires. When this happens, switch to netting or build a larger enclosure. Plan for this when you choose your cage size—a determinate (bush) tomato stays smaller than an indeterminate (vining) variety.

Will my neighbors complain if I relocate a squirrel to their area?

Possibly. Relocating a squirrel to someone else's property without permission is illegal in many places and creates a problem for them. Relocate to public land like a state forest or wildlife area, or ask permission from the property owner first.