My pea seedlings

[LisaJean]

SOMETHING is eating my pea seedlings. There are tiny bites taken out of the leaves, and some of them are picked clean right down to the ground.

It doesn't seem like rabbits. I see these little brown sparrow-like birds in the garden a lot, could it be them?

I'm thinking of getting a few rubber snakes to set around the garden to scare away the little birds.

 

[crazychickens]

I have seen robins snap snow peas off at the base they where only about 3 inches high. If it was rabbits, I think you would see the droppings. Pea shoots do taste good, alot of people put them in salads.

 

[patandchickens]

If you have access to some scrap, or inexpensive, hardware cloth you can cut it into ~12" wide strips, bend them into a tunnel shape with the ends squinched shut, and use 'em to cage your row of peas (or as much of it will fit in the amount of hardware cloth you've got). This will keep out rabbits, birds, woodchucks etc, as well as most (not absolutely all) voles and mice. The only thing it's worthless against is cutworms and other bugs.

Pat

 

[LisaJean]

Thanks! I put some netting up for the peas to climb on, and that seems to have scared away whatever it was for the time being.

I also strung an aluminum pie pan up where it blows and rattles in the wind nearby.

Cutworm.... I wonder if that could be what's doing my tomato plants. Something is eating through the stem right at the ground level, but not eating the whole plants.

This nature crap is really interfering with my veggies! LOL

 

[rebbetzin]

For cutworms I have found putting a small bit of foil around the stem of young plants, at the soil line, prevents the worm from being able to cut off the stems.

 

[LisaJean]

rebbetzin, thanks! That's a good idea. In fact, I just came in from putting foil on my remaining tomato plants.

 

[LisaJean]

Sigh. The cutworms are going after my brocolli, now.

Petty little turds, aren't they? I put foil on all the tomatoes, so they went after my brocolli. I know it wasn't out of spite, but it feels like it.