Hang red Xmas tree ball ornaments on the vines. The animals will go for the shiny, big "tomatoes" first and then leave the vine alone when the taste test doesn't pan out.

A squirrel will get through any netting so don't waste your time.

I wonder if hanging balloons would freak them out enough to leave the plants alone

Squirrels can only be beat with mental trickery!

Anonymous wrote:put them on the counter or in the fridge.

now for keeping the squirrels away from the tomatoes I don't know.

NEVER EVER put garden grown tomatoes into the fridge. It makes them mealy and ruins the taste. Keep them on the counter until you eat them.

Air rifle.

Anonymous wrote:You can try wrapping them in deer netting, or creating little cages from chicken wire. There really is no elegant solution.

+!

put them on the counter or in the fridge.

now for keeping the squirrels away from the tomatoes I don't know.

wrap in fabric that's meant for gardening:
http://www.gardeners.com/Row-Covers/5111,default,pg.html

I second the cages/chicken wire suggestion. Either that or get a dog. I also got a fake owl (with moving head) that may or may not have helped.

I heard the squirrels eat tomatoes because they are thirsty. If you put a bird bath nearby they may stay away. Once they have started munching on them though there isn't any going back.

You can try wrapping them in deer netting, or creating little cages from chicken wire. There really is no elegant solution.

So last year DD and I tried growing tomatoes in one of those stand/hanging contraptions. That's our only option because there's not a lot of sun in my yard, so we had to put it in the one sunny place and that's not a practical location for an actual garden.

Anyway, the squirrels ate every damn tomato. We had several different kinds and they grew well but the squirrels got them right before they were big enough to pick.

Any thoughts on how to keep those little buggers away?