Just need a shoulder to cry on....

13 years ago

I started my tomatoes (6), squash (2), zuke (2) and eggplant (3) from seeds on January 30. I watered, fed and nursed my "babies" for almost two months before planting them in the garden last weekend. Checked on them yesterday and some evil creature has eaten two of the eggplants, two of the squash and eaten the tops out of two of the tomatoes!!! I'm sick!!!

Could the evil creature be a rabbit?....I have three dogs in the backyard, so I doubt a rabbit is the culprit. I don't think cut worms were the culprits either because most of the damage was on the leaves and tops of the plants and not at ground level.

Should I wait and see if the plants come back? and if they do, will they still produce well?

Or should I remove them and replant with purchased plants? I've never direct seeded in the garden, but have plenty of seeds left......would that be a good option?

Thanks for letting me "boo-hoo".

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Comments (6)

tjani
13 years ago
Oh NO....XOXOXOX.

Maybe they will come back? Do post pictures so we can do a proper diagnosis of what it could be.

You can start seeds again or buy some from nursery....?
bagsmom
13 years ago
Oh crud! I don't even know if I'll bother with veggies this year, since we have those dang ninja squirrels. I don't have anything helpful to say -- just offering sympathy!

I AM going to try to grow a couple of tomatoes. Despite my insistence that never again would I waste my money or my time.... I am going to try to rig up a little enclosure made of hardware cloth. I'll have to let you know if or how it works.

Good luck on finding your garden vandals!
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aunt-tootie
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you both for the sympathy.

Tjani, I'll post pics as soon as my husband shows me how (I'm somewhat computer challenged), but a friend suggested the culprits may be birds. I have seen birds in the garden area which is off limits to my dogs. The dogs wouldn't be able to chase them away from there.

Bagsmom, Hope springs eternal! Good luck with the hardware cloth enclosure. I'm thinking that maybe I should buy bird netting and place it over the veggies until they grow larger.
jesky
13 years ago
Is it possible that slugs ate them? Slugs got a lot of my plants last year, and I went to war. I put containers of beer all over the place and murdered hundreds of the evil creatures, and laughed with homicidal delight as I avenged the deaths of my plants.
aunt-tootie
Original Author
13 years ago
I think the culprits are birds. We have quite a few nesting in our area. My husband bought stiff plastic hardware cloth and made tubes to place around the plants. The tubes are approximately 1 1/2 feet high and so far none of the plants have suffered additional damage.
buford
13 years ago
My critters usually wait till all the work is done and the fruit is nice and ripe. They they bite a hole in each one so I have to toss them.

I need to get a dog or another hunter cat.