destroyed seedlings

[Tinybu88les8]

So Its obviously fall gardening season and I've been trying to plant cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and mesclun. Well once the seedlings start sprouting from the ground, I get super excited.... and then I wake up the next day and they're gone and I get super sad. I didn't have this problem with my spring garden. Basically all my seedlings are gone, or totally chewed up.... the little leaves will barely be there if at all. Its like bugs just swarm that place at night...I dunno what's going on. I started some seedlings in pots with garden soil and fertilizer and they haven't been touched. Then there's the musclun ....I wanted to buy a long window pot and plant them in that but somebody told me they do better in the ground. So I sectioned off part of my garden for my greens...they are growing (and lasting longer) but they are slowing being chewed up! How am I ever gonna grow anything at this rate?! Its become almost impossible to plant directly into the soil. Whats going on?

[opabinia51]

It sounds to me like you may have Deer, where exactly do you have your plants? For the ones in the garden place some netting over them and prop the netting up so the deer can't chew through it.

[applestar]

... or slugs?

[Kisal]

Or rabbits?

[gixxerific]

or all 3! . I would say it's getting cold but in So Call it's probably not too cold. My plants have taken a break but it was cold here. 31* on sun morning. It warmed up again and they have taken a leap forward.

[Tinybu88les8]

lol its def not a deer. I live in the city in a fenced in backyard. I would have a heart attack if I saw a deer in my backyard! No rabbits either...slugs however I see all the time! They are always in my herbs at night! How do I get rid of them?

[rainbowgardener]

Type slugs or slug control into the Search the Forum feature ... there's been pages and pages written here already on this.

I agree that slugs seem most likely, but you'd be surprised what creatures have adapted to living with people in the city. I live 4 miles from downtown and my backyard has squirrels, raccoons, woodchucks, and possums as well as a variety of small rodents (shrews, voles, etc).

[applestar]

Well that's true. I know for a fact mice got in my garage and ate my earliest broccoli and cauliflower seedlings (at seed leaf stage) last spring. Didn't eat any of the cabbage. But it was just that one time. Slugs, by far, did far more damage to the seedlings and young veg's in my garden.

So, have you come across my "slug count" thread yet?

[Tinybu88les8]

Nope. I sure havent. Ill check it out.

[gixxerific]

Slug killer!

If any of you want to hire my 3 yr old daughter you may. She has an infatuation for killing any bug she sees. Really pretty crazy if you ask me.

[Tinybu88les8]

I tried the yeast thing last night...I saw a couple slugs around the bowl but none got in the jaccuzi of yeasty goodness!

[opabinia51]

I'm glad we've diagnosed your problem. Okay, to keep slugs away from your plants place copper strips or copper mesh around them, the electrostatic charge will irritate their membranes and they won't cross them.

[Tinybu88les8]

I don't really have room for copper mesh. My garden is only 9'x12'. What are these copper strips you speak of though? Are they made for slugs? or will any piece of copper due? something that takes up the least amount of space. My musclun has been destroyed. Theres a few sprouts still hanging in there but most of them were eaten on their first or second day above ground.

[pharmerphil]

remove anything they can hide in/under and on, them put down a board for them to bunk under...then, turn over the board and squish them...
Go out at night with a flashlight...thats when you can pick them off of your baby plants and eliminate them