Hungry pests eating everything!
 

Hi all,

Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my
predicament.

I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so
only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers).
Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that
transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were
coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there
were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps!

Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry
garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's
not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we
just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves
and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking
caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat
that much.

Could it be the cicadas?!
TIA.

In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote:

Hi all,

Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my
predicament.

I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so
only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers).
Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that
transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were
coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there
were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps!

Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry
garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's
not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we
just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves
and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking
caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat
that much.

Could it be the cicadas?!

Unless the plants were just snipped off and the top laying near them, I'd
guess snails and/or slugs for the watermelons and sunflowers. A light
scattering of Bugs Getta (snail and slug bait/killer) or Bugs Getta Plus
(apply about once a week or after heavy rain) is helpful about a week
before and for a week or two after planting or sprouting seedlings around
here. You can also try the old standby of beer in a saucer, but I find
that to be pretty much an exercise in frustration and futility.

The Bugs Getta Plus will also (in addition to slugs and snails) kill
"cut-worms" which are the incredibly ugly fat gray larvae with the orange
head, which you will often see when turning soil. They will cut roots and
stems of young plants. (Anyone know what insect "cutworms" are the larvae
of?)

If you found your plants just snipped off, then I don't know the identity
of the culprit. I wish I did. Some years I find the tops of some of my
peppers just snipped off, as with a clippers. I imagine there's some kind
of snipping insect around that chews a very smooth cut.

I don't know about your pecan tree.

--
A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body.

I would have guessed it was the deer.
With hope and heart,
Kathleen


I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so
only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted
sunflowers).
Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that
transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were
coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day
there
were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps!

Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry
garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's
not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we
just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves
and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking
caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat
that much.

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 02:41:39 -0500, Jeff Walther wrote:

In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote:

everything got eaten! One day there
were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps!

Unless the plants were just snipped off and the top laying near them, I'd
guess snails and/or slugs for the watermelons and sunflowers.

Hmm - I don't know. I haven't seen any slugs or snails. I was inundated
with them when I lived in England, but haven't seen any around here.
However, I know because I haven't seen them doesn't mean that their not
around! The watermelon plants disappeared altogether and the sunflower
stumps were not clean cuts, just kind of gnawed away. Last year, a whole
crop of blackberries disappeared over night too. That may have been birds
- we get a *lot* of birds with all of our trees - and that makes for good
viewing :-)

The Bugs Getta Plus will also (in addition to slugs and snails) kill
"cut-worms" which are the incredibly ugly fat gray larvae with the orange
head, which you will often see when turning soil. They will cut roots
and stems of young plants.

Aha. There was a healthy bunch of worms when I was preparing the soil and
I figured that could only be good. There may have been some of the
cut-worms but I wouldn't have taken much notice as everything over here is
new to me! I'll look into that.

If you found your plants just snipped off, then I don't know the identity
of the culprit. I wish I did. Some years I find the tops of some of my
peppers just snipped off, as with a clippers. I imagine there's some
kind
of snipping insect around that chews a very smooth cut.

That was a neighbor with a low pantry ;-)

Thanks for the help!

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 07:42:08 -0500, Kathleen
wrote:

I would have guessed it was the deer.
With hope and heart,
Kathleen

The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled birdseed
in our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to watch. Here they
are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't
have caught them ;-)
http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg

Seriously... we do have racoons, possums, skunks and the like - but no
deer or otherwise grazing types of the hoofed variety.
:-)

I have something that likes tomatoes. Birds get some, but there's something
that eats big round holes, like 1/3 of the tomato, just before it gets
really ripe. And the darn thing won't just finish ONE, NO-O-O-oooo it has
to try a bite out of every fruit that's pink. Going to have to put wire
around them.

Cindy

The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled
birdseed in our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to
watch. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have
swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-)
http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg

Seriously... we do have racoons, possums, skunks and the like - but no
deer or otherwise grazing types of the hoofed variety.
:-)

Cute! :) Guineas are funny, and their feathers are so pretty!

Cindy

deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled birdseed in
our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to watch. Here they are
heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have
caught them ;-)
http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg

Guinea fowl are your friends. They are voracious bug eaters and think ticks are
dessert.

They also make a very fine gumbo.


Tyler

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:01:58 -0500, Tyler Hopper
wrote:

Guinea fowl are your friends. They are voracious bug eaters and think
ticks are
dessert.

They also make a very fine gumbo.

I gather that's been happening as their numbers are dwindling fast!

In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote:

The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
Here they
are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't
have caught them ;-)

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078681988X/qid=1120191066/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0398025-5867830

--
A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body.

In article , "Cindy"
wrote:

I have something that likes tomatoes. Birds get some, but there's something
that eats big round holes, like 1/3 of the tomato, just before it gets
really ripe. And the darn thing won't just finish ONE, NO-O-O-oooo it has
to try a bite out of every fruit that's pink. Going to have to put wire
around them.

That could be squirrels, possums or raccoons. It could also be very
thirsty birds, this summer has been so dry. In past years, birds would
just peck a bit of a whole in each tomato that they touched. But this
year, the birds are thirsty.

I saw one squirrel bounding across my back yard (a few years ago) with a
tomato about twice as big as its head. Its bound was very lopsided to the
front, because it was so unbalanced carrying that huge fruit. Ornery
critter.

--
A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body.

"Lynda LeCompte" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my
predicament.

I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so
only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers).
Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that
transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were
coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there
were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps!

Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry
garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's
not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we
just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves
and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking
caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat
that much.

Could it be the cicadas?!

Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound?

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:21:10 -0500, Jeff Walther wrote:

In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote:

The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
Here they
are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I
hadn't
have caught them ;-)

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078681988X/qid=1120191066/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0398025-5867830

Oh too funny - that is one of my son's favorite books - it tickled me too
:-)

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:46:15 -0500, cat daddy wrote:

Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound?

Like the red harvester? I've not seen any. We have mostly what I think are
the native fire ants, around the property, but not near the veggie patch
that I can see. There was a crawfish hole in the patch - we live near a
creek - they wouldn't be the culprits would they?!? (Those ignurrunt Brits
;-)

"Lynda LeCompte" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:46:15 -0500, cat daddy
wrote:

Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound?

Like the red harvester? I've not seen any. We have mostly what I think are
the native fire ants, around the property, but not near the veggie patch
that I can see. There was a crawfish hole in the patch - we live near a
creek - they wouldn't be the culprits would they?!? (Those ignurrunt Brits
;-)

Yes, like red harvester or leafcutter. When I first moved into my house,
I enjoyed how industrious these ants were, as they stripped the trees in the
Fall. I thought, "How cool!" and what a Disney moment with Nature in action.
Then, one of the trees died and I was not so happy when an entire bush would
be stripped bare in a morning. I thought they might have gotten to your
tree. Oh well.......