My tomato plants are browning in the relentless Washington, D.C. July heat, so today I enlisted my 20-month-old twins’ help with reviving them.

I explained to the boys that we were going to water the plants, or as they say, “wawa” them. Then I turned on the hose. Both boys backed away from the spray, looking both fascinated and panicked. Then they ventured back for a close look. Duncan stuck his hand in the spray, then Trevor, and soon they were soaked.

What a perfect way to spend the 4th of July—cooling off with the garden hose. My attempts to get them to actually water the tomatoes were less successful. Neither of them could figure out how to press the spray-release lever. They quickly gave up and went in search of more exciting activities, like attempting to eat large stones.

The tomatoes perked up somewhat with the watering, but they’ve taken a beating this summer. In addition to the heat, they’re up against some unnamed critter that snatches away their green fruits in the dead of night. I’m at my wits end trying to figure out what sort of beast could pilfer them like that without leaving a trace. People have offered many different theories.

Some say it has to be birds. But then the tomatoes would be pecked right? Others say the offenders could be slugs. But no slug could take out a whole tomato overnight. When I queried Kathy Jentz, garden blogger and editor of DC Gardener magazine [1], she guessed squirrels or rats, or possibly even what she calls the BIG urban culprit: people. That can’t be ruled out, but would it really be worth it to a person to sneak into a yard for a tiny green tomato? Even DC community gardeners manage to successfully grow tomatoes without their getting stolen, according to post on DC Urban Gardeners [2].

My husband has joined the campaign to save the tomatoes by building them a house of netting, anchored with stakes. And he doesn’t even like tomatoes! His efforts could mean there’s a future for the two tiny green fruits now trying their luck on the vine.

Meanwhile, I really want to know what critter’s been eating them. I’m even thinking of playing CSI—setting up video monitoring over the Web to catch the criminal in the act. Here’s the question: How would I set up that sort of surveillance? Is there any sort of Web-based video system someone can suggest I use?