I went out and bought 19 new plants (more than original total), some trellis netting, a clothesline and a pack of clothespins. I set up the clothesline by fastening it to a potager pole (this is a fenced garden) about 5 ft. above the ground, running it above one side of the bitten bed, around the pole near the other end, then back along a line above the farther side of the bed. (I hope this isn't too confusing, but in case anybody wants to try to cover a bed with high netting without carpentry, you now have instructions. My advice is, find a partner to do this with; hard to do alone.)

The hard part was unfolding the netting and somehow getting it over the 2 parallel clotheslines without its snagging on anything. It snags on EVERYTHING including shirt buttons, watch clasp, bits of wood, tomato cages -- you name it. As I worked out the snags, I used the clothespins to keep it in place on the lines.

Then I lifted one whole side, like a curtain, and planted the replacement tomatoes. Same for the other side (the bed was 4' x 30'). Cutworm collars were placed, then the netting lowered but left loose at the bottoms. I figured that if a bird wanted to go in, he'd be uneasy at getting caught in the net. Not that I'm sure birds think ahead, but at that point I had worked so long at this project that I opted out of the next step which would have been to take the wheelbarrow down hill and loaded up large rocks to hold down the netting.

So far, no further depredations. However, a large starling started hanging around on the tallest post, unusual bird to see here. So I suspect that was our culprit. The other birds (coastal birds of meadow, wetlands, woods and orchards, the usuals) don't seem to bother the plants. I hope that once the plants are 2 ft. tall, Mr. Starling would be beyond nesting time, and the plants would be safe. I'll keep the netting on until the plants get tall enough almost to snag on it.

Carol