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Vegetable Gardening

What's eating my cucumber/tomato seedlings

Daniel Central IN, Zone 6a

12 years ago

So this weekend something ate a few of my cucumber seedlings. I've had trouble with something eating tomato seedlings in the past and putting chicken wire around each plant seemed to help with that. Whatever it is it's completely eating the seeding down to the ground. I would suspect rabbits except that I wouldn't think rabbits would go for tomato and cucumber, especially when there is lettuce just one row over which is completely undisturbed.

Any idea what it could be and what's the best way to control it? I could put wire around every plant but that sure seems like a lot of extra work.

Ideas?

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Comments (3)

planatus
12 years ago
Cutworms? Put a small "collar" of aluminum foil around the base of each seedling and see if the damage stops.
bluelacedredhead
12 years ago
I'm having problems with cucumber seedlings this year too. None of the transplants I've put out, just Middle Eastern cucumbers germinating in hills.
They aren't cut to the ground. Mine are the leaves being picked off and in most cases, disappearing?
My garden is fenced with 1/2" wire mesh, so I can't see it being rabbits. Squirrels or birds I think.
Perhaps I'll follow your lead and put chickenwire cages around the hills and see if it solves the problem.
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Daniel Central IN, Zone 6a
Original Author
12 years ago
Well I tried the foil but a couple of them were still eaten off. I've also put out moth balls, hung a foil pie pan, and put a small fence around the entire garden. None of which has helped.I'm considering putting clear plastic bottles around individual plants to see if that helps. Only issue I can see there is drainage when it rains. I'm thinking some small holes in the bottom might help with that.

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