I had this problem -- it turned out to be a squirrel.

Second on the squirrel thief - they wait until they are aaaaaalmost ready, then BAM! Nicked.

Pick them when they are almost ripe and then let them finish ripening in your kitchen. They will still be delicious.

We had this problem but it was the little neighbor girl playing grocery store. I explained that they were to eat and told her I would share and that ended the problem :)

Squirrel or human, they may be deterred by wrapping the plants in netting. Not very pretty, but it does the trick.

We've also had this problem and we thought it was our 11 yr old labrador (who stops at nothing for food in any shape or form). It wasn't until she was entirely housbound for a week due to surgery that we realized it was another critter entirely. Not sure if its a rat (we live near a river) or a squirrel but I sure hope its the latter.

Sign up another one for squirrels. I had a ton of tomatoes and they stole every last one.

Squirrels have stolen nearly every bit of produce from my garden and my parents. It's maddening and makes me want to cry every time it happens. Next year we plan on putting a fence around them or some other deterrent. I like the net idea mentioned above.

Probably a critter -- you need netting. Trust me, I've been there . . .

Second the idea of picking just before ripe -- I enjoyed a tomato last night that sat in the windowsill for a few days -- foresight that paid off deliciously!

Put a sign for the critters that read and netting up for the ones that don't. I had the same thing happen and was livid. It was the day I had planned to pick them!

I just saw a squirrel with a tomato yesterday! It was almost as big as him, but he would not be deterred.

My condo has banned growing tomatos since it attracts too many wilds. Squirrels, rabits, rats so on. Cherry tomatos are so cute.

Everyone says critters doing it or kids but not long ago there was a whole long post on here about people stealing herbs/ fruit from yards. It probably was an inconsiderate neighbor. If this is clearly your plant, yes, I would put up a sign. Doesn't have to be mean, but just saying please don't take my tomatoes and if you really want some, please speak to me. My guess though is whoever it is wouldn't ever come forward or stop unless caught. People can be jerks sometimes for something free :(

my parents unfortunately had the experience where one of their neighbors thought it would be a great idea to help themselves to my folks' blackberries - uninvited! A sign seemed to be an effective deterrent.

We have the same problem with lizards here in AZ. My solution is to wrap the tomato in an old piece of tshirt or kitchen towel. Pin it in place and keep a watchful eye until ripe. This has solved our problem. Not sure it will work with cherry tomatoes but does the trick with larger tomatoes.

Mine are constantly nicked by squirrels as well- I agree with the previous comment for wrapping them in netting. it does the trick.

I once had two 12yo boys come up my driveway to pick/steal the 2 strawberries I grew that year. Needless to say I was a bit upset when I confronted them. Never happened again (of course I didn't get any strawberries off that plant this year, I really need to start watering).

Our squirrels here (Seattle) are too busy stealing berries to care about the tomatoes, so I've never had that problem. But I finally got some strawberries without netting or caging them (after maybe 4 years of growing). It was actually simple. I just sprayed a cayenne and water mixture (and poured for good measure). Worked like a charm! Hopefully it keeps them out of my ripe grapes too :)

Our dog used to pick tomatoes when she was younger. When I'd find them in the yard with teeth marks in them, I'd chew her out. If my hubby found them first, he'd throw them away and not tell me. Good enabler!

I think small sign might be a good idea -- "Please don't pick my tomatoes, I've been waiting allllll summer for them to ripen." A neighbor might think you've given up on them, since you didn't have luck with your other garden stuff. I have a couple neighbors that have rhubarb in their yards and they never do ANYTHING with it. The neighbor behind me plants a garden every couple of years and just let's it rot. I don't get it! It's frustrating to me to look at every day going to waste! It might be a squirel, but if not it doesn't hurt to nicely let others know you haven't given up on those tomatoes.

For squirrels, a motion-activated sprinkler has done wonders for me. It might help for people too....
Find one on amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Contech-Electronics-CRO101-Scarecrow-Motion-Activated/dp/B000071NUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314720587&sr=8-1

Or google "Contech Scarecrow"

As you only have 4 units in your building, I would go around asking if anyone picked the tomatoes. "I'm sad about it and I'm trying to determine if it was a squirrel or not". If it was a neighbor they'll probably be apologetic

Might be a tomato horn worm, they can eat so much in the span of a couple of hours that it literally looks like someone stole them. They also are sometimes hard to spot because they are the same color as the plant.

read an article once that explained how boring life was 100 years ago that people would sneak out to the row of gardens near communities and move around garden plot stakes just to have some excitement the next morning.

in some places, one may have a hand physically removed for stealing food. my guess is its an animal; but you should post up by your plant with a shotgun just to be sure.

I'm a garden thief; I admit it. I just hate hate hate seeing food rot on the vine in my neighborhood community garden. So what would deter me? Get it off the vine and rippen in a bag.

I had friends with the same issue. I told them to pick up some netting from a home improvement store. If it's critters, netting will keep them out. If it's people, then the netting will be a deterrent. No one wants to sit there to unwrap a plant and risk getting caught.

You have my sympathies. I agree with the other commentors, go door to door and ask. If it's a common area (and if it's legal in your region) buy a cheap camera trap and set it up in a secluded place in view of the tomato plant. (Preferably in your apt so it won't get stolen) and ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for whomever is stealing. Press charges if you catch them. Trust me, I know from experience - permissive communities eventually become miserable places to live.

@Jamie that's a piss-poor excuse for stealing. Did you try educating your neighbors first? Offering to help them keep the plant watered, and asking permission first? Of course not. Because the truth is, you think you're above the laws and that you have the right to take whateve you want. Shame on you.

Maybe putting up a sign saying something like that: Stealing your neighbours tomatoes is pretty pathetic. So please stop.

I own rental properties.I would advise you to leave your neighbours alone.Do not use a communal space for private anything.Communal means the space does not belong to you personally.You should have made inquiries with your landlord and neighbours prior to planting in this communal space to begin with.

While it may be clear to some that you own your tomatoes,it is very clear to me,as a landlord,that you don't because you are not the only person permitted to use this space.Notice nobody else is using the space to plant tomatoes.Think about that for a spell.Seriously.Leave your neighbours alone.If you want a space for a garden....move.Expect to move if your neighbours are just as pushy as you are.That's the only recourse landlords have in these situations, if neighbours start accosting each other over tomatoes and tomatos.

@hello123 I think that's a bit harsh! What gives you the impression that she's at all pushy? I think it's fair enough to use the space if there's nothing in the lease saying not to. There's nothing in the email to say that it was not allowed, just that the tomatoes were taken.

90% of the time it's going to be squirrels stealing veggies etc and not neighbours anyway

@hello123 What's the point of a communal space if you can't use it? What happens if a kid leaves a toy there after playing, people can take it without remorse as its in a communal space and therefore, according to you, not his?

I'd go with the netting idea. Secure it in place and if any more tomatoes go missing you'll know it's a nimble fingered human. Or an extraordinary smart critter. Good luck!

if it is squirrels (or other four-legged critters) they might be after water. It may not be an option to you, but a filled birdbath (with or without pedestal) not only gives songbirds a place to drink, but also the squirrels-- and they will likely leave your tomatoes alone... as they did mine.

Wow I feel blessed to have my cherry tomato plant on my balcony. No question that is my private place, and too high for squirrels!

As a member of a community garden, I find it highly annoying when someone steals my food. I can't always get to picking it in a timely fashion, but I did pay for that plot, planted those plants, and watered those plants. Just because someone feels like I'm "letting them rot", this is NOT an excuse for taking produce I worked for. If I choose to let it turn into compost, that is my choice. Sometimes, I'm deliberately letting that produce go - I want to let the broccoli flower and the green beans dry because I plan to save the seed.
Thieves are not acceptable, especially in a garden that is about building community - and when someone steals the produce, this is destroying that community.

My point is this....I deal with neighbours fighting all the time.Banging on people's doors and setting up spy cams over tomatoes IS nuts.Expect to get some backlash from your neighbours and your l;andlord.That's not harsh..that's reality.Leave your neighbours alone.Communal space,being used or not used, is still not your own personal space.
Don't go there with the kids toys crapola either because I have dealt with people who thought it was ok to confiscate and destroy childrens toys left in communal space.Not everyone is a 'nice' person.I know you might find that hard to believe,but that's the truth.

Do I think it's ok to steal from your neighbours?Obviously not!What appears like a good natured gesture at first glance can often turn into all out war in a rental community.For every call I get to make use of a communal space,I get just as many calls complaining.Everybody thinks what they want is good.Just like you.Try dealing with it.

The mindset that it's ok to use something because nobody else does is just as obnoxious,petty and 'pushy' as any other mindset.That makes my point.Thank you.

@hello123 I think your point is fair enough, especially in a typical American rental area where everyone is a stranger and no one speaks to each other. But personally I see that changing in some communities, and that is good for our society and for the environment. If people can become more self-sufficient, we might be able to avert pollution and many other ills. It depends on the type of community. If everyone in the building is chummy or like a family, why not use the communal space? But I agree, it should be equal. The person should probably WITH PERMISSION allow others to use her tomatoes or everyone should be allowed to put an individual plant out there. Maybe if they're really close they can start a container garden and take turns caring for it. And thieves should still be punished (crime watches work better in tight-knit communities anyway).

@ Emmi

I totally agree with you.I am growing in the front of my home,only a few feet from the sidewalk.No issues with theft.I live on a very bust street.

Using communal space means you have a responsibility to be part of a community.Many people aren't interested in the concept.

I would support my tenants using their spaces to garden.Or anything else that trips their triggers.To that end I am very picky about the mix of people in my units.Not every landlord is.

It's a super suggestion to get everyone involved in a garden.Especially if the space is useless to everyone because nobody feels they CAN use it.

There is always the option of moving the plant inside the apartment now that it's full size (depending on whether it's a container grown plant or not - of course). If you put out a sign requesting other residents to refrain from picking the plant you lovingly tended and the theft continues - the thief has no remorse so there's no point to keeping it outside. I keep my plants near a floor lamp and they're happy. I've learned the hard way that thieves lurk everywhere - I even lost dirty socks when I left a laundry basket out for a few hours unattended (they left the other clothes). It's the one reason I'd want to go back to the 1950's...more respect for personal property.

I totally agree with dlub - all that time and effort put into a garden, it's totally unfair to have someone steal from you because they don't have the same gardening practices as you do.

I have had unripe peppers stolen from my community garden plot (they were jimmy nardello's that were just starting to turn red on the tips - it's so frustrating!) I've started harvesting my tomatoes early so they don't get nicked.

I've read online that growing yellow or green tomatoes can deter people from stealing because they don't realize when they are ripe. For my peppers, my husband and I made a sign saying that they aren't ripe until they turn purple (which shouldn't happen), are poisonous while green and to please not pick them.

My squirrels not only ate my tomatoes, they uprooted several herbs without even eating them.

I think a small, polite sign is perfectly appropriate. As others have pointed out, you can't really get too angry since it's not your private space, but I think it's reasonable to at least point out that they are your tomatoes. Truth is, people steal fruits and veg whether it's a communal space or not. My parents had a thief who reached over their fence from the alley to steal tomatoes. My mom caught him once and asked him what he was doing--he just calmly walked away saying nothing but kept stealing. Some people are plain and simple selfish and rude. I'm not really sure why a landlord would object to you and your neighbors working things out on your own, though it seems like hello123 seems to feel that way. Again, since it's not your private space you really shouldn't run around complaining to everyone and harassing people, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're intending. Plus, as others point out squirrels or other critters might be the culprits too!

I would post a note that says: "Love tomatoes as much as we do? Let me know. I'll put one aside for you." You won't come off sounding like a jerk, and nice people are harder to steal from.

Interesting comments. Poor squirrels get fingered as the culprits. Well, I recently read about a woman who lives in Seattle and she decided to take care of her squirrel population by not only killing them, but skinning them and then cooking them for dinner. Actually her method of killing them was to drown them, which took about 4 minutes. I found it rather horrifying to read such a thing and it was sent by a friend who hates squirrels. I should find that link and post it here. Squirrel. It's whats for dinner.