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Minnesota Gardening

YIKES! What ate my strawberries???

18 years ago

Could not believe my eyes yesterday. My strawberry plants were producing beautifully, lots of nice green berries waiting to ripen. So I covered them with netting to keep the birds away. Yesterday I looked and EVERY BERRY IS GONE!!!

What could have gotten past the netting and eaten them? How do I prevent this in the future?

I am so bummed!

Linda

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Comments (11)

selkie_b
18 years ago
Have you checked for slugs?? They can do that VERY easily.

-Marie
doucanoe
Original Author
18 years ago
I will check, but can slugs clean out the berries of 15 plants in one night? And none of the leaves are gone...
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David, didn't you turn the entire dish purple with the beets?? I've been wondering where to share this information and since I've mentioned my Passport melons and waiting for the Fastbreak cantaloupe (& I'm still waiting for Honey Girl Charentais and watermelons) - I may as well say something more about Passports here. Spring was a very difficult time for the melons. I had a visit from the neighbor during our 1st, belated warm spell. He was nearly standing on a dead melon plant and I was hoping he wouldn't notice and ask about it (and them). The cold, wet weather made the transplanted melon plants so sick, many died. The Honey Girls, that I like so well, must have had about an 80% loss. Turns out that there are no, none, nada, zip, zero cantaloupe out there! I'd assumed that some of the vines were Fastbreaks - nope. Besides the 2 plants (I believe it is) with ripening Charentais melons, and the easily identified watermelon vines - ALL the remainder are Passport galia melons! I've decided NOT to complain. Passport is a fine melon. Here's what Colorado State U says about them: "Very aromatic, nice texture, early season melons seem to be the most flavorful." Here's what Vesey seed company says: "An extremely early honeydew type melon. Combines ultra-earliness, durability, and great flavor. Passport has thick flesh and rich green color, dark green toward the outside, whitish green toward the seed cavity. Unlike muskmelons, the flavor is smooth and the aroma is fresh. Fruit are large averaging 6-7" in diameter and 5-6 lbs. Vines are vigorous and productive. Good disease tolerance. Maturity approximately 80-85 days" Territorial Seed notes that Passport is a "Galia" melon from Israel and claims it matures in 75 days in their gardens. The CSU research on specialty melons encountered an unexpected variable - hail. Loss to the hail storm ranged from 93% to 30% in 14 of the 15 varieties tested (50% loss was about the median). Here is where Passport came thru with flying colors - only a 13% loss from the hail!! My garden's difficult Spring growing conditions showed similar results - Passport makes it thru the border-line growing conditions of Spring cold and storms better than the others! Rather than be aggravated over the loss of the cantaloupe and most of the Charentais - I'm very pleased with Passport. d'S'
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Julie
18 years ago
Hey Linda-
Sorry about your strawberries- Do you have raccoons? Their nimble fingers and street smarts allow them to do amazing things.... usually during the night too!
Did you notice any tracks or trails or other signs?
Julie
doucanoe
Original Author
18 years ago
Nope. No tracks, but they are mulched with woodchips so that isn't a surprise. I am figuring either raccoons or rabbits at this point. Hope they leave my raspberries alone!

Linda
Julie
18 years ago
What ever you do- don't even think you can keep corn from them! They have all night to figure out how to get at their seasonal favorite! Even if you have a feild of corn just across the property line- they seem to like your sweet corn best!
Best of luck with your raspberries!
Julie
prairie_love
18 years ago
Hi Linda,

I just had to add my strawberry woes. Apparently my DOG has decided she likes strawberries! For years she has stolen cherry tomatoes from the garden, now its strawberries! What a nut.

I hope your raspberries don't get eaten and all my sympathy on the strawberries. What a disappointment to have them all almost ready, then disappear!

Ann
glen3a
18 years ago
LOL Ann, our poodle used to take crabapples off the lower branches of the tree and eat then. He also loved cherry tomatoes.

Linda, have you considered that it could be squirrels? I swear I have had berries disappear as well and that's the only creature around, though I guess the occassional rabbit does come through as well.

Glen
doucanoe
Original Author
18 years ago
Glen, Never considered squirrels. You would think that with the pounds and pounds of bird seed and peanuts they steal from my bird feeders they would not be hungry. Bottomless Pits is what they are!

Linda
fitzerroneous
18 years ago
I've seen chipmunks steal my strawberries. And I gave up on raspberries (used to grow them in pots) since the chippy had breakfast there every morning.
Julie
18 years ago
Yep- my dog likes tomatoes too- and he is very good to only eat the fallen toms and raspberries- but the delicata squash is something I can never grow and expect to eat- as soon as they are ripe- they are his! He eats them after he has played with them a good long while- tossing them up high in the air and catching them- I guess they are too close to ball shape and they must smell pretty good too- at least to him! I'll never know....
lily_digger
18 years ago
It is good to hear that other people's pets play soccer with their produce! Most of the time I can maintain a sense of humor about sharing stuff with the wild and domesticated critters. Usually, they have so much to eat around here that there is not much damage. However, when three iris cristata are taken down to 1/2 inch by bunny babies, it's time for a talk!
It is so wonderful, though, to look out my kitchen window any time of day and see at least three kinds of wildlife having a ball in the garden and fountain. It's a "photo of the day" in living color and animated, besides. I love retirement!!
Lily
P.S. Oh, back on topic, sorry about your strawberries, Linda. I happen to have motion lights in the strawberry area. At least I can see "who" is eating them that way. Still lose 'em, of course. I've managed to keep the raccoons off my deck by throwing empty pop cans at them a few times. If they're everbearings, maybe you can salvage the next round with a six-foot fence? Good luck with the raspberries.

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