The bottom line in responsible pest control (organic or not) is you need to know what you're dealing with in order to develop a strategy to control it. Unfortunately there is no broad-spectrum yet not-toxic, registered-organic, prophylactic spray that can solve your problem. I would strongly encourage you to look over your plants *extensively* for clues as to the culprits. That would include going out at night with a flash light and spending some time observing. Lots of pests are more active at night - slug, snails, earwigs to name a few. If you read some information about what pests are prevalent in your area (the USDA extension website for your state is often a good starting point, but there's a plethora of info online and at the local library) that will give you an idea of things to watch for. If you can't supply photos of the suspected pest, please at least post photographs of the damage - diagnosing your pest problem from a written description of the damage is a big ask, and photos can give additional info like what stage of growth your plants are at - are your tomatoes 6 inches tall or 3 feet tall, for example. Even posting pictures of anything you find that seems unusual to you might help - there have been posts with pics of caterpillar faeces asking "what's this?" that have led to an ID of the culprit and a control strategy. Think of it as an unfolding detective story rather than a chore. Good luck!

One year I had a rabbit that was determined to overwinter in a nest it made under one of my dianthus. I cleared it out and filled it back up with dirt a couple times, but it just came back and dug it back out and relined it with fur. I got some Shake Away and sprinkled it around the area, and the bunny didn't come back. Sounds like your bunny was smart enough to move her babies after she smelled humans had been around them. One year an idiot rabbit made a nest in our yard, and we have two large dogs, one of which has killed and eaten more rabbits than I can count. Not the brightest bunny around! Deanna

Okay, two weeks since hail, I said things would look like nothing bad ever happened after 2 weeks, so here goes: This is the garden overview shot to match the previous photos. The pumpkins are almost back to where they were on July 10, 2 days before the hail... losing at least 16 days on the pumpkin season will make getting any fruit far enough along to ripen questionable as they are always a bit dicey here to start with. The corn however has grown far beyond where it was 16 days ago: On closer inspection, the heirloom flint corn, which was already flowering and tasseling when the hail hit, got beat up bad and will never recover. Here it is today (the cobs are empty): The other corn varieties were not yet flowering or tasseling when the hail hit, and they have grown on as if nothing ever happened, despite their shredded leaves. Fortunately, these make up 80-90% of the total corn patch. Carrots and beans have recovered to about where they were before the hail, so slowed by a couple weeks and probably a reduced crop, but that's much better than nothing: Still not sure what to make of the potatoes... being underground the tubers were protected and I have been picking early spuds for a week or so, but the tops were I guess fully developed so have shown little recovery from the hail and I guess probably won't ever recover. This will ultimately reduce the size and perhaps slow the development of the underground spuds... still unclear: As for onions, and I grow lots of onions every year and they usually last us until April or May of the next spring, the tops got beat up and have recovered somewhat but not as fully as I would have expected. I think the underground bulbs should grow and mature fine even with the somewhat damaged tops, but I won't know for sure until early September: Fruit is a mixed bag. Ripe saskatoons got stripped but new ones soon took their place and we've had plenty for our own use since the hail and left plenty more for the birds. Raspberries weren't damaged much by the hail but the hail and other intense rains beat down some of the canes so that now many of the berries hang lower than usual and get splashed by mud when it rains heavily. Not that we haven't had a good feed of berries, at least when we can actually get out and pick some from the sopping garden. Apples are going to be crap this year though: So all in all, the hail did a lot of damage and wiped some things out completely (spinach, lettuce, snow peas), set most things back by at least two weeks, and left a few things virtually unscathed. I wish it never happened, but at least the garden will still give a harvest, even if it isn't the harvest I'd hoped for. And at this point I'm actually much more worried about how the endless rain will damage things, by providing a perfect habitat for fungi, diseases, and slugs. If I remember, I'll update this thread at the end of season to give my thoughts on how the hail affected the fall harvest.

Thank You Kathy(Katkin)....and good for you on your pooch too!....I hear RoadTrip! Silvia....I'm anxious to make some real SMOKED pepper seasonings.....Ya'know when you open the jar it just Talks to you! ...the build has a name/logo: The Smokin' Pepper...I guess the soundtrack might be ZacBrown or JimmyBuffet..... and the Official sponsor? (Yet-to-be-determined) Ok Tom....One Orlando eggplant....That's a cutdown 100 gal. tree pot...the bottom is 28" in diameter filled with 16" of mix... I recruited Pam for scale...Ollie the outside cat had to report for duty with mom.....Too much contrast to see the "eggs" And the last time the crane made a sizeable "impression" on my backyard....(and I also dislike the neighbors and their illegal overlooking treehouse) So I think it's NO garden access for the crane this time......thanks all dougandpam