Hello,

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable garden
with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant and some
Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly large leaves
with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out yesterday and
something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and some off the other.
Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is cylindrical and hollow).
The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though something has chewed on a
couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting, so
I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well (the
largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went out and
something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

I'm sure we have rabbits in this area, though I've never actually seen any
in my neighborhood. I live on a wooded marsh and I do have Raccoons (I've
seen one trying to get into my bird seed container). Rabbits I would think
would eat the vegetables!!! I would think the marks on the Pattypan came
from rabbits. But do they eat the leaves? I mean, I know rabbits will eat
grass and lettuce when you feed it to them, but those spiky leaves off the
Pattypan?

If not rabbits, what other animals might do this? I wouldn't expect a
Raccoon to eat leaves - or even a Fox, especially when there's some other
things like half-ripe banana peppers and green tomatoes around, not to
mention the close to ripe Pattypan itself. I've had things get eaten in the
past - but always the fruits of the plant (these by the way are not bugs I
imagine - they've been sprayed with insecticide, and that's a lot of leaves
for one night!), not the leaves.

Any thoughts,
TIA
Steve

Steve Latham wrote:
Hello,

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable garden
with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant and some
Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly large leaves
with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out yesterday and
something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and some off the other.
Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is cylindrical and hollow).
The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though something has chewed on a
couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting, so
I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well (the
largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went out and
something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

I'm sure we have rabbits in this area, though I've never actually seen any
in my neighborhood. I live on a wooded marsh and I do have Raccoons (I've
seen one trying to get into my bird seed container). Rabbits I would think
would eat the vegetables!!! I would think the marks on the Pattypan came
from rabbits. But do they eat the leaves? I mean, I know rabbits will eat
grass and lettuce when you feed it to them, but those spiky leaves off the
Pattypan?

If not rabbits, what other animals might do this? I wouldn't expect a
Raccoon to eat leaves - or even a Fox, especially when there's some other
things like half-ripe banana peppers and green tomatoes around, not to
mention the close to ripe Pattypan itself. I've had things get eaten in the
past - but always the fruits of the plant (these by the way are not bugs I
imagine - they've been sprayed with insecticide, and that's a lot of leaves
for one night!), not the leaves.

Any thoughts,
TIA
Steve




If it's just the leaves, it could be slugs (or snails). They can devour
an awful lot in one night and I'm not sure how effective insecticides
will be with them. Have you mulched around the plants? You can go out
after dark with a flashlight and you might find the buggers crawling up
the plant for the dinner buffet. Or lay out a tray of beer near the
plants...if you find slugs in there after a day or a two or so....then
that's the culprit.

..

"cloud dreamer" wrote in message
...
Steve Latham wrote:
Hello,

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable
garden with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant
and some Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly
large leaves with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out
yesterday and something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and
some off the other. Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is
cylindrical and hollow). The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though
something has chewed on a couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting,
so I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well
(the largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went
out and something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

I'm sure we have rabbits in this area, though I've never actually seen
any in my neighborhood. I live on a wooded marsh and I do have Raccoons
(I've seen one trying to get into my bird seed container). Rabbits I
would think would eat the vegetables!!! I would think the marks on the
Pattypan came from rabbits. But do they eat the leaves? I mean, I know
rabbits will eat grass and lettuce when you feed it to them, but those
spiky leaves off the Pattypan?

If not rabbits, what other animals might do this? I wouldn't expect a
Raccoon to eat leaves - or even a Fox, especially when there's some other
things like half-ripe banana peppers and green tomatoes around, not to
mention the close to ripe Pattypan itself. I've had things get eaten in
the past - but always the fruits of the plant (these by the way are not
bugs I imagine - they've been sprayed with insecticide, and that's a lot
of leaves for one night!), not the leaves.

Any thoughts,
TIA
Steve


If it's just the leaves, it could be slugs (or snails). They can devour an
awful lot in one night and I'm not sure how effective insecticides will be
with them. Have you mulched around the plants? You can go out after dark
with a flashlight and you might find the buggers crawling up the plant for
the dinner buffet. Or lay out a tray of beer near the plants...if you find
slugs in there after a day or a two or so....then that's the culprit.

Well. don't want to waste the beer until absolutely necessary! I'll try the
flashlight manouver first. I have not mulched though. I did last year and
didn't have this problem, so that is a possibility. What about diatomaceous
earth if it is slugs?

I wasn't crazy about mulching if I didn't have to. Moisture retention is not
too bad, and I've been able to stay on top of weeds. I think last year I had
some cutworms or something that ate the stems of the smaller pepper plants
and killed them, so I went out and bought some aromatic cedar mulch and that
seemed to keep most things away (including the ants that were around). I
just wasn't crazy about it being mixed in the soil when I turned it over at
the end of the season - though this year it appears to have pretty well been
assimilated. Since I've had those green monsters that eat the tomato leaves
(and fruit) and the little black bugs that make lace out of the eggplant
leaves, I thought I'd go back to the Bug-B-Gone.

Thanks - more advice always welcome - I'm still at the stick 'em in the
ground and see if they grow stage, so If I can pick up things little by
little I still feel like I'm getting better at it!!!!

Best,
Steve

Steve Latham wrote:
"cloud dreamer" wrote in message
...

Steve Latham wrote:

Hello,

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable
garden with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant
and some Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly
large leaves with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out
yesterday and something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and
some off the other. Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is
cylindrical and hollow). The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though
something has chewed on a couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting,
so I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well
(the largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went
out and something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

I'm sure we have rabbits in this area, though I've never actually seen
any in my neighborhood. I live on a wooded marsh and I do have Raccoons
(I've seen one trying to get into my bird seed container). Rabbits I
would think would eat the vegetables!!! I would think the marks on the
Pattypan came from rabbits. But do they eat the leaves? I mean, I know
rabbits will eat grass and lettuce when you feed it to them, but those
spiky leaves off the Pattypan?

If not rabbits, what other animals might do this? I wouldn't expect a
Raccoon to eat leaves - or even a Fox, especially when there's some other
things like half-ripe banana peppers and green tomatoes around, not to
mention the close to ripe Pattypan itself. I've had things get eaten in
the past - but always the fruits of the plant (these by the way are not
bugs I imagine - they've been sprayed with insecticide, and that's a lot
of leaves for one night!), not the leaves.

Any thoughts,
TIA
Steve


If it's just the leaves, it could be slugs (or snails). They can devour an
awful lot in one night and I'm not sure how effective insecticides will be
with them. Have you mulched around the plants? You can go out after dark
with a flashlight and you might find the buggers crawling up the plant for
the dinner buffet. Or lay out a tray of beer near the plants...if you find
slugs in there after a day or a two or so....then that's the culprit.


Well. don't want to waste the beer until absolutely necessary! I'll try the
flashlight manouver first. I have not mulched though. I did last year and
didn't have this problem, so that is a possibility. What about diatomaceous
earth if it is slugs?

I wasn't crazy about mulching if I didn't have to. Moisture retention is not
too bad, and I've been able to stay on top of weeds. I think last year I had
some cutworms or something that ate the stems of the smaller pepper plants
and killed them, so I went out and bought some aromatic cedar mulch and that
seemed to keep most things away (including the ants that were around). I
just wasn't crazy about it being mixed in the soil when I turned it over at
the end of the season - though this year it appears to have pretty well been
assimilated. Since I've had those green monsters that eat the tomato leaves
(and fruit) and the little black bugs that make lace out of the eggplant
leaves, I thought I'd go back to the Bug-B-Gone.

Thanks - more advice always welcome - I'm still at the stick 'em in the
ground and see if they grow stage, so If I can pick up things little by
little I still feel like I'm getting better at it!!!!

Best,
Steve




DE would work but rain or a heavy watering would wash it away. It can
get labour intensive and expensive.

Mulch is still an good option. When you think about it, it is imitating
nature which doesn't permit plants to grow with nothing but clear soil
around it. If you're concerned about too much water retention, then
create a wide border of mulch that doesn't go right to the plant - just
surrounds the area. You can check at night to make sure no slugs have
been trapped inside (or splurge on the beer for traps). The insecticide
will probably work for the other buggers, but as I noted, the slugs are
not around when you spray.

I also don't turn in all the mulch at the end of the season. I rake off
what I can, turn in what's there and either reuse what I've raked off or
use it on a pathway. The mulch is just more compost for the soil. It
shouldn't hurt it.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's slug-infested Far East.

Steve Latham said:

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable garden
with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant and
some Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly
large leaves with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out
yesterday and something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and
some off the other.

Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is cylindrical and
hollow).
The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though something has chewed
on a couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting,
so I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well
(the largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went out
and something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

In my experience, rabbits don't bother squash much except to eat the
flowers, sometimes.

But groundhogs will munch squash leaves down to stems. And they will
munch on the fruit.

Deer will go after squash plants, too.

Bugs and slugs will usually leave tattered, lacey leaves behind rather than
complete anihilation of leaves.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Steve Latham wrote:
Hello,

I live in southeastern Virginia. I've got your basic house vegetable garden
with Tomatoes and Peppers. I've also planted a couple of Eggplant and some
Pattypan Squash (acorn squash to some). The Pattypan has fairly large leaves
with little spikes on them, as do the stems. But I came out yesterday and
something had eaten most of the leaves of one plant, and some off the other.
Some of the leaves were down to the stem (which is cylindrical and hollow).
The Pattypans themselves were not eaten (though something has chewed on a
couple of them a bit).

Also, oddly enough, I had some sunflower seeds that I noticed sprouting, so
I went ahead and put them in the ground. They've been growing well (the
largest is only about 8 inches tall though). But today I just went out and
something has eaten the leaves off them as well.

I'm sure we have rabbits in this area, though I've never actually seen any
in my neighborhood. I live on a wooded marsh and I do have Raccoons (I've
seen one trying to get into my bird seed container). Rabbits I would think
would eat the vegetables!!! I would think the marks on the Pattypan came
from rabbits. But do they eat the leaves? I mean, I know rabbits will eat
grass and lettuce when you feed it to them, but those spiky leaves off the
Pattypan?

If not rabbits, what other animals might do this? I wouldn't expect a
Raccoon to eat leaves - or even a Fox, especially when there's some other
things like half-ripe banana peppers and green tomatoes around, not to
mention the close to ripe Pattypan itself. I've had things get eaten in the
past - but always the fruits of the plant (these by the way are not bugs I
imagine - they've been sprayed with insecticide, and that's a lot of leaves
for one night!), not the leaves.

Any thoughts,
TIA
Steve

It sounds like rabbits to me. They are somewhat nocturnal, so you may
not see them unless you are up looking early in the morning. The whole
world is their salad bar, but they seem to prefer your prized plants.

Here is a few things that I know they've eaten out of my gardens this
year:
tomato plants bitten of at the ground, Broccoli, brocolli and more
(climbed over a fence). Beans, peas, beets, greens. Blueberry bushes.
Branches from small cherry tree. Marigolds. Sunflowers. Zinnas.
Aster. Various other anual an perennial flowers.

I don't often see them. I have a dog who loves to chase animals, but
usually sleeps inside... or under the deck.

I have tried all the usual things. Small fences are the only thing
that works. Sometimes you can take the fence away when the plants
mature. Sometimes you think you can, but find destroyed plants the
next morning.
Lots of luck. I wish there were more free roaming cats around.
gf

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
. ..
Steve Latham said:

[snip]

In my experience, rabbits don't bother squash much except to eat the
flowers, sometimes.

Well, that's what I was thinking. Those leaves (and stems) are kind of
"spikey" - I quess they're "hairs" but they're pretty rigid, and for
instance make it uncomfortable on your forearms to reach in there.


But groundhogs will munch squash leaves down to stems. And they will
munch on the fruit.

Hmmm. Now that sounds like a potential culprit. One of the kids across the
street said they had a groundhog in their yard. I didn't believe him, but
maybe I should consider this.

Now, how do I keep a groundhog out?


Deer will go after squash plants, too.

We do have deer, but they're getting rare. Used to be country and fields and
is now suburban sprawl. Deer are rarely seen across the highway (where they
used to be prolific) so I'm leaning towards the GH.


Bugs and slugs will usually leave tattered, lacey leaves behind rather
than
complete anihilation of leaves.

That's what I was kind of thinking too. It didn't seem like insects to me -
though one never knows.

Thanks Pat.

Steve

"greenfoot" wrote in message
oups.com...

[snip]

It sounds like rabbits to me.

Well they would be the most likely suspects. But Pat's groundhog idea has
gotten me thinking.


They are somewhat nocturnal, so you may
not see them unless you are up looking early in the morning. The whole
world is their salad bar, but they seem to prefer your prized plants.

Pat seemes to disagree. I wouldn't put it past them, but Pat's description
seems to agree with what I'm seeing. This is like total defloration to the
stem - I kind of expected rabbits to do a little more sporadic munching. And
those leaves are awful spiky.


Here is a few things that I know they've eaten out of my gardens this
year:
tomato plants bitten of at the ground, Broccoli, brocolli and more
(climbed over a fence). Beans, peas, beets, greens. Blueberry bushes.
Branches from small cherry tree. Marigolds. Sunflowers. Zinnas.
Aster. Various other anual an perennial flowers.

I know they will munch these things! Just seemed weird with these squash
leaves as they're so prickly.


I don't often see them. I have a dog who loves to chase animals, but
usually sleeps inside... or under the deck.

I have tried all the usual things. Small fences are the only thing
that works. Sometimes you can take the fence away when the plants
mature. Sometimes you think you can, but find destroyed plants the
next morning.
Lots of luck. I wish there were more free roaming cats around.
gf

Well, we've got some cats, but those lazy b%$#&* don't seem to be doing
their job! - too concerned with the free meals at the trash cans! I think
I'm going to have to fence. Maybe I can just do one of my plots though.

Thanks,
Steve

Steve Latham said:


"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Steve Latham said:

[snip]

In my experience, rabbits don't bother squash much except to eat the
flowers, sometimes.

Well, that's what I was thinking. Those leaves (and stems) are kind of
"spikey" - I quess they're "hairs" but they're pretty rigid, and for
instance make it uncomfortable on your forearms to reach in there.


But groundhogs will munch squash leaves down to stems. And they will
munch on the fruit.

Hmmm. Now that sounds like a potential culprit. One of the kids across the
street said they had a groundhog in their yard. I didn't believe him, but
maybe I should consider this.

Now, how do I keep a groundhog out?

Strong fence, reinforced at the bottom either with buried wire running
outward under the ground or by large concrete blocks running along the
perimeter (makes a good mowing strip). At the top, some electric fence
lines or an outward flop of chicken wire (so that when they climb the
fence, they either get a jolt or they flop over and fall off).

Groundhogs will climb, but they perfer to go under. And they tend to
dig right at the base of the fence. If they can't dig through there, they
don't think to back up a foot and try again.

If they can't go under, they will climb, so the top of the fence has to be
protected, too.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

If I had your problem I would put some cantlope rinds in the garden. They are
groundhog magnets and should be 100% consumed the first day if you have
groundhogs. I purchased a HavaHart trap which I use to catch groundhogs,
coon, possums and the like. If you have those critters it is $60 well spent.

In article cKXkg.1883$Za5.1491@trnddc04, says...


"greenfoot" wrote in message
roups.com...

[snip]

It sounds like rabbits to me.

Well they would be the most likely suspects. But Pat's groundhog idea has
gotten me thinking.


They are somewhat nocturnal, so you may
not see them unless you are up looking early in the morning. The whole
world is their salad bar, but they seem to prefer your prized plants.

Pat seemes to disagree. I wouldn't put it past them, but Pat's description
seems to agree with what I'm seeing. This is like total defloration to the
stem - I kind of expected rabbits to do a little more sporadic munching. And
those leaves are awful spiky.


Here is a few things that I know they've eaten out of my gardens this
year:
tomato plants bitten of at the ground, Broccoli, brocolli and more
(climbed over a fence). Beans, peas, beets, greens. Blueberry bushes.
Branches from small cherry tree. Marigolds. Sunflowers. Zinnas.
Aster. Various other anual an perennial flowers.

I know they will munch these things! Just seemed weird with these squash
leaves as they're so prickly.


I don't often see them. I have a dog who loves to chase animals, but
usually sleeps inside... or under the deck.

I have tried all the usual things. Small fences are the only thing
that works. Sometimes you can take the fence away when the plants
mature. Sometimes you think you can, but find destroyed plants the
next morning.
Lots of luck. I wish there were more free roaming cats around.
gf

Well, we've got some cats, but those lazy b%$#&* don't seem to be doing
their job! - too concerned with the free meals at the trash cans! I think
I'm going to have to fence. Maybe I can just do one of my plots though.

Thanks,
Steve

In article ,
(Jerome R. Long) wrote:

If I had your problem I would put some cantlope rinds in the garden. They are
groundhog magnets and should be 100% consumed the first day if you have
groundhogs. I purchased a HavaHart trap which I use to catch groundhogs,
coon, possums and the like. If you have those critters it is $60 well spent.


There are also recipes for said critters on the 'net. ;-)
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

It sounds to me like a rabbit. They are somewhat nocturnal animals, so you may not see them unless you can see the early morning. The whole world is their salad bar, but they seem to be more like your precious plants.