Protecting Tomatoes from Rodents and Iguanas in Florida

Half-eaten tomatoes with no debris suggest rats, squirrels, or iguanas. A physical barrier is most reliable.

Effective Barriers

1/2" hardware cloth cage around each plant or bed.
Bird netting draped over supports, secured at ground level.
For iguanas: 4-foot smooth metal flashing around bed perimeter (they can't climb it).

Combine barriers with sanitation for best results.

Growing Vegetables: Yucca elephantipes Propagation: Saving a Leggy Specimen; Identifying and Managing Tomato Blight from Photos; Diagnosing Early Tomato Disease in Herb Garden; Pruning Tomatoes and Peppers in EarthBox Containers; Extending the Tomato Season in the Northeast by Planting Early; Tomatoes in Cold Nights: Ripening Limits & Garage Strategy; Excess Nitrogen in Tomato Soil: Balancing Nutrients Mid-Season; Planting Tomatoes in Containers Buried in Ground: Is It Worth It?; Peppers and Tomatoes: Compatible Companions in the Nightshade Family; Tree Tomato (Cyphomandra betacea): Not a True Tomato, Frost-Tender Shrub

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