Well, the SLUGGO has been administered this evening! I had my daughter hold the flashlight while I sprinkled away! I had several baby slugs on three of my already demolished plants - the leaves were almost non-existent, so I don't know what they were feeding on....so I pulled them up, but my daughter suggested I leave the plants in the garden so hopefully the slugs that do come out to feed will eat on the already dead plants! Oh, and my beer trap is FILLED with slugs! Eeeeewww!

MomesqNY, I am having the same problem. I just tore down all my pole beans today and have to replant. This has been going on for a month now. I had perfectly healthy plants and started noticing that entire poles were missing leaves (whole leaves chomped off). Sometimes just the top leaves and then the bottom leaves would be gone the next day or vice versa. The beans were left completely untouched and intact. I am certain it is an animal and think it may be a rat! I've seen a rat running along the fence on that side of the yard several times. I purchased a rat trap 2 weeks ago, but have yet to set it up. I think that is the only critter that is capable of climbing the poles without dragging the whole plant down. We also have squirrels, but I haven't seen them in that area during the daytime. It is definitely a nighttime creature! I checked for droppings but didn't see anything, but I am not ruling it out. Does this sound like it may be what's eating your leaves as well? I'd hate to admit that there are rats on my property, but I am at a loss as to what it could be. We also have skunks, raccoons, coyotes and opossums but they would be much too big to climb the bamboo tepees I set up!

Ladies... Cats certainly do have a place around the garden, preferably not IN IT! I have 2 cats, who make my garden into a race track. They love to hang out there, and when it's cool, (ha ha, comparatively speaking) in the evening, they chase each other all through the garden while I'm holding my breath as they race through the baby tomato plants I've just set out, sometimes breaking a stem, or knocking over a pepper plant. The plus side is that mice, rats, small snakes, or moles don't stand a chance. Fortunately for me, I'm not allergic to them, but some people are, or for other reasons can't have cats. Anyways, gamebird, are you sure it's mice and not rabbits? Until I got my fence put up, they were eating me out of house and home. Don't know about mice ever eating anything. Some folks say that squirrels like garden veggies. But I was wondering if perhaps you could have a 'special place' somewhere in the corner of your garden where you could toss out an amount of bean seeds, or whatever it is you think the culprits like to eat and let them have at it. I saw a turtle in my garden yesterday and I've been rather concerned about him eating the tomatos, or cucumbers. I may have to find him a different home if I start seeing damage. I know it can be very discouraging to work so hard trying to have garden and then seeing it destroyed no sooner than it breaks ground. I agree with Dawn that cayenne pepper may not work. Hopefully, you'll find out for sure what's doing the damage and find a solution. Good luck! Barbara

Possibly cutworms, I had this happen to me one year, one pole, 8 plants, almost to the top of the pole. All vines had been neatly cut off right where they emerged from the ground, it was cutworms in my case. Sorry I don't have a recommendation for you, most insecticides have been banned here in B.C. Maybe someone else will chime in with a solution. If planted around a pole maybe give the seedlings a collar, toilet paper tubes might work. Annette