Newbie here and clueless what is destroying my plants! Please help!

[NewbieFarmer]

Hello everyone and thank you so much in advance for reading this. I really don't have much area in my backyard to farm and I have been trying to grow the vegetables I have organically and there is something inside my garden that is destroying my vegetables. It seems every other day I come out to my backyard and crawl into my covered raised bed (secured the bed with plastic and pvc pipes so you're able to walk inside) one or more of my vegetables have been gnawed off. The A-Choy whatever it is would just gnaw off the bottom stem and leave the rest while the kale they would devour everything. I do not see any holes in the soil and I have no clue how they are getting in. Please any help would be great... I hate how they wait until the vegetables are almost full grown before destroying them! Its so sad and frustrating...

 

[Chuck]

That is a 4 legged critter eating your stuff. If it happens at night it is a rat or rabbit or deer.

 

[NewbieFarmer]

That is a 4 legged critter eating your stuff. If it happens at night it is a rat or rabbit or deer.

Hey Chuck! Only reason I'm thinking it is not a 4 legged critter is because the raised bed is actually enclosed. I checked for any gaps on the sides where they might be able to get in and I couldn't find any and I couldn't find any holes in the soil. I checked everywhere too... Can this be from sow bugs or pill bugs? I do have a lot of them in there and read they can do harm to your plants.

 

[Chuck]

Hey Chuck! Only reason I'm thinking it is not a 4 legged critter is because the raised bed is actually enclosed. I checked for any gaps on the sides where they might be able to get in and I couldn't find any and I couldn't find any holes in the soil. I checked everywhere too... Can this be from sow bugs or pill bugs? I do have a lot of them in there and read they can do harm to your plants.

An insect or 10000 insects cannot eat a plants entire top and not leave behind little pieces. If I were a rat I would get in at the bottom as I don't see anything but stapled cloth. If you have ANY loose areas at the bottom of the cloth that's where I'd go, if I were a rat. Pill bugs do eat entire plants but the plants are tiny seedlings. On large plants they don't eat the entire thing, they only leave a bunch of holes in the leaves. This is a 4 legged animal, guaranteed. What I would do is run a 1x2 all the way around at the bottom to ensure that there isn't a way in.

 

[NewbieFarmer]

Thanks again Chuck Ill definitely work on that tomorrow!

 

[Tjohn]

Mice and squirrels,etc, can squeeze through a crack 1/4 of an inch wide, and will definitely make it between where your fabric is stapled and the walls. Chuck is RIGHT! Hope you caught it in time.....

 

[NewbieFarmer]

So whatever critter this guy is hes cutting my kale at the stem and pulling them into the soil. Any thoughts on how I can get this guy? I don't see any holes anywhere and its not a really large area so I know I didn't miss it. I'm so clueless on what to do I'm at a point where I'm just going to destroy my garden and just start digging until I find this guy

 

[Stink Bug]

Need to get out at night with a torch and take a look.
Hopefully find the culprit.

 

[Chuck]

So whatever critter this guy is hes cutting my kale at the stem and pulling them into the soil. Any thoughts on how I can get this guy? I don't see any holes anywhere and its not a really large area so I know I didn't miss it. I'm so clueless on what to do I'm at a point where I'm just going to destroy my garden and just start digging until I find this guy

Let me get this straight. This animal is chewing off the leafy part of the plant and dragging the stem part underground? Or is it he is leaving the stem in place and the leafy part disappears?

 

[NewbieFarmer]

Basically the animal is chewing the stem of the kale off so it detaches from the root. Then it'll drag the entire kale underneath the soil. Never noticed this until yesterday where one kale was completely gone (only the base) and another kale was half way into the soil.

 

[Chuck]

Basically the animal is chewing the stem of the kale off so it detaches from the root. Then it'll drag the entire kale underneath the soil. Never noticed this until yesterday where one kale was completely gone (only the base) and another kale was half way into the soil.

Have you dug down in the area where the plant disappears to? Any tunnels or pathways. sounds like it might be a ground squirrel if you have them there