If there was also leaf damage then slugs would be my first guess. But without that then the lizards and/or turtles come first to mind as they are nibblers. Rabbits or groundhogs wouldn't stop with just a nibble. Squirrels and deer will also nibble. Dave

I know how to stop that critter! I have a large veggie garden that is critter free! how? My husband put up an electric fence around the whole garden. It is only about a foot high. There are three strands of wire. The bottom wire is an inch from the ground, the second one an inch from the bottom wire, and then an inch to the top wire. No animal can climb up or dig under without touching the wire. And once they hit it, that is the last time they will come near your garden. Now for deer. Yes, they can step over the wire, and that is where one of the Scarecrow Water Sprayer comes in. Buy one of those, and your garden will be deer and bird free. Now if I can only figure out how to electricute bugs.

I was going to ask if you had deer in the area but you already mentioned it a couple of entries ago. When I looked at how neatly all of the leaves of your broccoli were nipped off the first thing I thought of was deer. We live way out in the sticks, so to speak, and have a lot of deer. This evening I saw 6 does out nipping off the tops of my wildflowers. This spring a doe and her yearling fawn managed to break through a weak spot in the 8' fence we have a around the garden. All of my broccoli and brussels sprouts were nipped off as cleanly as yours appear to have been. I'm betting your local deer are the culprits. The cages you built should take care of the problem nicely. Good luck with your next crop of broccoli. Actually, if you haven't pulled the damaged plants yet they may recover. Mine did and I'm harvesting wonderful plate sized heads of broccoli now. Gail

You have to be able to identify the culprit in order to treat or prevent. If you can post clear, detailed photos of the damaged plants, we might be able to narrow it down for you.