Turtles are common garden visitors where water is nearby, but they are not always pest creatures -- they consume a variety of troublesome insects and generally do very little damage to gardens. However, when turtles are found eating tomatoes, several things can be done to protect the crop from the offending reptiles. Since they are not climbers or jumpers, exclusion and staking of sprawling vines are some of the easiest methods to stop turtles from eating tomatoes in your garden.
Thread sprawling tomatoes into cages to get the fruits off of the ground. Remove tomatoes that are within 1 foot of the ground so that turtles have nothing to eat when they visit your garden. Check your plants daily for ripening fruit that may be attracting these reptiles.
Remove any debris, weeds, rock piles or other places where turtles may hide when they are not actively feeding. Cover openings under decks and outbuildings with hardware cloth so that turtles can't use them for cover.
Install a fence that is at least 2 feet tall around your garden, burying at least 6 inches under the soil. Check that the fence is securely constructed so that turtles can't squeeze between it and the ground, or between the fence and any gates or walls.
Identify the turtle before removing it from the garden to ensure that you're not at risk of injury from aggressive animals like snapping turtles. Contact your state's Department of Conservation for permission to relocate the turtle far from your garden.
Things You Will Need
- Tomato cages
- Hardware cloth
- Garden stakes, 2 to 3 foot tall
- Garden fence, 2 to 3 foot high
- Fence clips
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