I planted out my community garden plot yesterday - it is not complete but I all the tomatoes are planted out. I have 2 cherokee purple, 2 brandywine and 1 mortgage lifter. I also plan to put in two supersweet 100s that I have growing in my windowsill. When I left yesterday, the garden was looking good and I was feeling pretty good.
This was just yesterday, y-e-s-t-e-r-d-a-y. My parents are visiting so I decided to show my mom the little plot. And this is what I found...exhibit A.
And exhibit B.
Something ATE my cherokee purple seedlings! Out of all the tomato starts, the 2 cherokee purple plants were small (in the first picture, it is the two plants on the far right in the middle row). I was SO mad when I saw the seedlings all chewed up, I AM so mad. My mom asked why I don't have a net over the plants (apparently this is what she does). She told me I need to go in the morning to check for critters. Exhibit A, makes me think it was birds because the leaves looks as though they were torn off. Exhibit B looks more like tomato horn worm? But I didn't see any poop and the plant is too small for worms to hide in them (and I looked) - where would they go after eating the baby plants? In the soil perhaps. I guess it could also be slugs...or squirrels or mice or RATS. argh! The other tomato starts looked untouched - but I'm going to be checking them everyday!! If I lose all the tomato plants, let it be a hard and painful gardening lesson. grrr.... I have 2 cherokee purple plants that I have started, so once they are ready I think I will transplant them to the garden. I could also look for larger plants at the garden store. Grrrr...
I read that planting cilantro and dill may also deter worms (if that is what it is). I also have Bt...but I think it is a little early for that. My mom was amused that I was so upset and obsessively googling for answers. I had absolutely no interest in gardening just 2 years ago, so she is getting used to her gardening obsessed daughter.
Update: I went to the garden in the morning and inspected the plants but there were no worms. However, there were many birds (starlings and sparrow) pecking at the soil and squirrels perched on the wooden frame of the raised bed. I thought I saw a couple birds pecking at small seedlings in the other beds. So I think the damage was caused by the birds! I guess on the plus side, they eat some of the insects that may damage the plants...so I'm not too angry now...as long as they stay away from MY VEGETABLES!
I know it won't make you feel better about losing your seedlings, but the same thing happened to my cantaloupe plants. Just chomped off, same as your tomatoes. I thought maybe cutworms, but the stems weren't cut at ground level, probably about 2" up the stems.
ReplyDeleteso what do you think it can be? maybe squirrels? Whatever it is, it is terrible. I hope it stays away from the other plants!
Deleteawww, that really really sucks. I thought it looked like a hornworm too... is it too early in the season for that? Grrr, I'd be so mad. I guess the bright side is that it's still early in the season.
ReplyDeleteI agree! If it happened later in the season, I would be even more upset!
Deletemy guess would be rodents of some kind. Try putting cloches of some type over them to keep them safe. It's always so frustrating to see weeks of loving care lost overnight to pests that think your tiny plants are an invitation to dinner. Definitely not slugs, they will climb the stems and branches and chew holes in the leaves, but they don't cut stems usually. i have no experience with horn worms so can't offer advice there, but I have seen an entire seedling tray plucked clean and the leaves gently piled up by mice INSIDE the house.
ReplyDeleteInside the house? That's terrible! I suppose the tender tomato seeds are delicious!
DeleteSame thing happened to some of my tomato seedlings this year! I was so pissed! Ate the whole damn things! And there are some nibbles off some of my bigger tomato plants on the bottom leaves.
ReplyDeleteNo clue what it is. I had a cucumber thief last year and was never able to figure out exactly what type of animal. I've seen a bunch of chipmunk tracks this year in my yard!
Also, last year I watched a squirrel go up to my cucumber seedling, behead it, and just leave it there.
Good luck figuring out what it is!
Laura, you sound just as mad as I am! It is SO annoying, isn't it?
DeleteSo sorry to see what happened to your tomato seedlings. Wonder who did that mischief? Hope you catch the culprit.
ReplyDeleteBigger garden means more problems. It will be a steep learning curve!
DeleteI've never had it happen to tomatoes but I've had spates of chewing on brassica stalks - particularly broccoli - I think in my case it was baby rats or mice practicing their chewing skills - but that is just a theory. I still get really frustrated by that sort of damage though.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely frustrating! I almost wanted to set up a video camera to catch exactly what was eating them!
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