Something is eating my garden.

[bobbi-j]

I have planted two batches of tomatoes so far. Twenty the first time, and within a couple of days half of them were gone. Just... gone. It was very windy, and I think they got nipped off and blew away. So, I planted 15 more. Went out a day or so later, and found more of my tomatoes with the leaves all laying in a pile around the stem. So, I thought it was cutworms. Dusted with Sevin two days ago, went out to look today, and all but two are gone! I have some stems with leaves on the ground around them, some stems chewed or bit off at ground level, and some plants completely gone. Whatever it is has started on my newly-growing pole beans, and it (or something else) is also in my strawberries. Again, leaves nipped off, plus the stem with the berries cut off. This is the 3rd year with my garden where it is, and I've never had this much trouble! We also have deer that have walked through the garden, and the bunnies are starting on my peas (planning on getting some fence up tomorrow), but I don't think either of them is doing the above-mentioned damage. Any ideas out there?

 

[digitS']

Idea1: everything seems to be willing to eat bean plants.

Idea2: deer will eat everything . . . maybe even try tasting the everything that will eat the beans. No, I'm probably kidding about that. However, deer will eat tomato plants. It was a little startling when I discovered them long ago, eating my potato plants. But, I have had serious, serious tomato plant damage from the deer, also.

Bunnies may not eat tomato plants but they will also eat beans. I discovered the other day that they have decided to eat zinnias. The rabbits have had a chance to eat zinnias many times but this has never happened. I am waiting for them to discover that there is, once again, strawflowers in the garden. The last time those plants were there, the rabbits ate them all!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

That's tough. Someone else recently posted about the strawberries being cut off at the stem and just left. I don't know if they got that one resolved. Since that was under a row cover, I suspect a beetle or something like that, but another forum member suggested maybe voles. A trap with peanut butter as bait may be appropriate.

Many things could be going after the beans. Deer and groundhogs are at the top of my list as possible culprits but don't neglect rabbits. You'd probably see tracks if it were deer.

I had a strange one with pole beans this year. Something was chewing off two a night, starting at one end of th erow and basically eating them almost to ground level. Rats. Large rats. I was kind of surprised at that one. Another reason to to maybe bait a trap with peanut butter.

I had something like that happenong with tomatoes a couple of years ago. Limbs cut off and dropped on the ground, maybe three or four plants a night. I called my county extension agent on that one. He checked wioth the local Master Gardener and suggested maybe a beetle. I wasn't real sure about that one but I dusted with Sevin and it stopped. I really think that one was a rabbit though.

With the amount of damage you are mentioning, I suspect a larger mammal, but I really don't know. Do you have groundhogs in your area?

 

[bobbi-j]

digitS' and Ridgerunner - thanks for your replies. We live on a farm in a very rural area, so wildlife is abundant. We have 5 deer that we know of living in our grove (probably more by now, as they're starting to drop their fawns). They travel from our grove to the pasture, graze there for awhile and then move on to the field on the other side of the pasture. Our garden is also at the edge of the pasture (fenced, of course, to keep the horses out). I have only seen one set of deer tracks in there, no new ones, so I'm not sure it's them. The ground is dry enough that tracks from smaller animals like rabbits won't show. We do have groundhogs (we call them woodchucks) in the area, and an abandoned building not too far from the garden so that could be an option. Do you think they'd pull the leaves of the tomatoes and eat the stems, though? That's what has me baffled. The leaves in a pile around the stems. Tonight I went out and worked some Sevin into the ground. Tomorrow I'm picking up a few more tomatoes that my SIL has offered me. I'm going to put milk jugs over them to see if that helps.

 

[Collector]

Bobbi-J welcome to TEG. Not sure what is eating your garden, it does sound like an animal not a bug though. Hope you figure it out before you lose to many more plants. Keep us posted.

 

[so lucky]

Good idea with the milk jugs. Just curious, are the leaves all separate or still attached to the cut off stems? Have you fertilized with fish emulsion or other smelly natural fertilizer? Has it been particularly dry at your place this season?

 

[desertlady]

certain kinds of birds will do damage !

 

[Jared77]

Did you look for any signs of animal droppings? With the lack of tracks in the area that may help indicate whats doing the damage. Usually when an animal sits for a while and grazes they will leave droppings. Check the edges of the garden for signs as well, or at vantage points where they would have a clear view of the garden so animals would stop and make sure the garden is safe before venturing out and grazing.

 

[ninnymary]

bobbi-j welcome to TEG! I think you need to do some investigative work to find out what is happening. Try keeping the area moist around your garden so that footprints will show. You can also dust with flour. It sounds like the damage is being done at night. Can you stay up alittle late and keep an eye on your garden to see if you see anything? This may be alittle hard if your garden is some distance from your house. I imagine any animal will scurry as soon as they hear you!

I think you need to protect those plants as much as you can. Try putting chicken wire around a few to see if that keeps them safe. I would probably plant any more new ones closer to the house if possible.

Good Luck,
Mary

 

[digitS']

Groundhogs are Marmota monax. We have Marmota caligata here.

I suspect they have about the same food interests in a garden. I once gardened near park land. We were not supposed to even "harass" park wildlife and that included the marmots.

Over the 6 years I was there, the marmots always found a way under or over my fence sometime during the season. What I hoped for was to harvest early enuf that I got it before they got in or found the entrance and stopped them soon enuf! Either that or hoped there would be several crops that they weren't interested in.

Over time, however, they learned to eat just about everything that was grown there. Altho' just about everything was in danger of being eaten by the marmots - they never ate the tomato plants.

Steve