Could it be grasshoppers? I've had a terrible time with them this year. They will eat anything and come in all colors and sizes. It they are cutworms, they will be chewed at ground level. Drench the soil around the plant and they will come up to the top.

I hate veggie gardening down here. Moving to New Orleans in the spring, and can't wait to have a place where gardening is not a constant battle with the elements.

Judy, I have not seen any grasshoppers. This year was the first year we did not have any lubbers! Sometimes I do see things chewed off at soil level and assume it is cutworms, but most of the time I don't even see anything come up! I'm not sure what is going on.

Dirtygardener, I love gardening here, I just wish my learning curve was better. This veggie stuff is hard. Good luck to you in NO. Every place has its pros and cons. Hope the pros far outweigh your cons!

Anna

I can tell that hundreds of seeds are overwhelming to you. I think you should plant just a few seeds first. Taking care of a smaller number of plants will be easier. Once you see those plants are doing ok and your pleasure and confidence builds you can plant a few more seeds. Keep doing this until you have enough plants to satisfy you without driving you crazy. Gardening should be fun...well mostly fun:) It's good to do it that way anyway so that everything doesn't need to be harvested all at once.

Did you see any caterpillars around?

We have problems year after year, too, but I'm not giving up. I do have green beans (bush), green peas, and the collards and cabbage are coming up. I decided to try sowing seeds for the greens this time. Last spring (early) we had green peas but everything else died or were eaten. I think it was too wet for too long for the beans, carrots and squash. They got some kind of wilting disease. I have pretty much decimated the lubber population around here but the regular grasshoppers were very bad, also the stinkbugs, and I have noticed slugs, which come out at night. But if it ever becomes no fun at all I will stop (hope it doesn't). I just think it's such a great thing to go out in the garden and pick something to eat. A horse-owner friend of mine has offered her barn shavings any time I want it, so I'm hoping my DH can take the old beater pickup over there so we can start a real compost pile. I think amberoses' suggestion to just start small is a good one, at least if it goes wrong you haven't invested as much sweat, money and expectations into it.

Anna,

The only veggies I've had any luck with are hot peppers grown in pots. I've tried tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers (in ground and in pots) without much success.

John

Hi Anna

Without looking at your soil where are you planting, it is hard to tell what the problem is.

I was delayed in my fall plantings because I was away, but this week I have been sowing different veggies and no trouble at all. Some I space them correctly and some not like lettuce I just sprinkle the seeds and put potting soil very fine on top.

I heard already from somebody else this problem, he said he had to start everything in cups before setting in the garden even beets. Since you have no problem with the packman broccoli transplants maybe that is the way to go till you figured it out the problem. On the carrots and I think lettuce too they have a seed tape that it is easier to use, less thinning. On the beets, spinach and chard soak them the night before planting maybe that helps.

Here is one of my recently planted beds with the seeds just sprinkled, I will use them as cut lettuce.

Silvia

Anna, it is frustrating but don't give up. I was having the same problem so I started the seeds in cups and when I transplanted the seedlings, I gave them a diluted dose of compost tea. Then I covered the seedlings with screen fabric for a week to keep the insects from chewing on them. I've had 100% success since doing this.

Amberroses, I have a small garden, it's just that nothing germinates, so I have to keep sowing many seeds in the small spaces to get any plants at all. I wish I could figure out why. This is the first year that has happened to such a degree. Last year I did have some problems, but not so severe. I have never seen a mouse or cutworm. No caterpillars.

Rita, I am not giving up. I am enjoying it, just very frustrated right now. You are so lucky to have a source for barn shavings! I had some stinkbugs this year too, but have been lucky to find them when young when they are easy to dispense of.

Babalu aye, I have had very limited success, especially this year so far. My tomatoes still look pretty good, though. I am afraid to say it, though!

Silvia, that's what I've been trying to accomplish! I sprinkle and sprinkle seeds and nothing comes up. Not even lettuce. For every hundred seeds I spread, maybe one or two germinate. I did have trouble with the broccoli. Only about 6 or 7 of the plants I grew from seeds are left, and of the seedlings I bought, only about half have survived. The others have had their stems chewed and have perished.
I like your suggestion about soaking the seeds overnight. If I have to plant those things again (which I probably will for the third or more time), I will do that.

Trini, sadly, I think I am headed that way too. So much more trouble. I wish I had more time. Your toad friend is cute. Nice to see a friendly face in the garden!

Sorry for your frustration - I can totally relate!
Not sure exactly where you are, but for me the culprits are snails, slugs & burrowing roaches. I start almost everything in celpacks, etc. & set out once they're large enough to withstand the pests.

I also started using a natural slug & snail bait to protect the things I must start in the ground, like beans & peas. It's iron phosphate based & you simply sprinkle the pellets around & replace as needed. I bought it @ Home Depot.

FWIW, the snail population here has exploded over the last few years, I believe they are imported white snails. Slugs & snails feed @ night, so you may not ever see them @ work, except early in the morning, or on cloudy, rainy days.

As for cutworms (& slugs will chop down seedlings too, IMPE), I learned to insert several small, thin twigs (or toothpicks) around the stems of broccoli, tomatoes, etc., when setting out. You just push them down into the soil @ least an inch or more, right up against the stem & they need to extend approx. 1 1/2" above ground level. I always use 3 - works better than cardboard collars.

HTH

Carol, I do have tiny snails in the garden that I see. I pick them when I can and I do have the iron phosphate (sluggo) that I use on occasion. It seems they are too tiny to cause much damage, but I think I will sprinkle some sluggo in there today just in case. I will have to consider your toothpick trick when I set some transplants out. Thanks.

Silvia, I have started soaking some seeds that I will put in small pots and nurture until they are a decent size to put outdoors. I am doing the beets, kale and chard this way. However, I don't think I can do lettuce and carrots like this. I started a container with lettuce and maybe I will look for the tape for the carrots.

Does anyone know if cutworms go away in the winter? Today there were several radishes and kale chopped off at ground level again and another onion with the top chewed off. Ugghhhhh! I am waiting to see if the seeds I planted yesterday will germinate.

Anna

Anna

I guess he is not available (the person with the same problem) He said that he planted all his beets and greens in styrofoam cups that he cut the bottom and use the tops to protect them from cutworms. I think he also used mushroom compost? which can sometimes change the balance of the PH. I really don't know much about it so I can not comment on this, I am just thinking possible problems and solutions.

I love containers to supplement the garden and I love pelleted seeds for carrot and lettuce, sometimes when seeds are tiny, they can wash out with the rain or watering.

This container is perfect for lettuce or herbs.

Silvia

Silvia, your colorful containers are really cute. I have not heard of pelleted seeds. Which ones do you get from which companies? Maybe that would help my germination problems. Can you recommend a seller?

Anna

Annna, are you planting in the ground, or in a raised bed, the way Silvia does ? take a look at her beds with the barrier around it, and how she makes her soil in those beds... lasagna-method.... her beds are pretty big but can be copied on a smaller scale for a small yard.... I used to do that also years ago and it keeps a lot of the problems you mention at bay... and if you have cut-worms it keeps them out also, for years.... mainly because the soil you are using is 'made', not using your regular yard-soil.( your regular yard-soil is full of bugs and all kinds of nasty things).. good luck, sally

Anna - A lot of companies sell the pelleted seeds but I prefer to buy from this seller, I never had any problems. I got some of the carrots and the lettuce this time. I only get this 2 because they are so small is hard to see them and sow them.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: pelleted seeds

Silvia,

As I grow older the carrot seeds are not only hard to see, they are getting heavy to lift up too :)

When I want to plant small seeds, I find it easier to use an old salt or pepper shaker. You can even block some holes with a paper inside the cap if it still comes out too fast. This way I can use my choice of seeds.

Lou

Thank-you, Silvia. I will try them with the hope it will help my lettuce and carrot germination problem. We will see!

Anna

Lou - I like the salt shaker idea!

Lou - I am waiting for you in the other thread about what is ripe in your garden? I want to know what are you eating? And yes, the salt shaker is a good idea!

Anna - You will be happy with the pelleted seed, I just look at mine this morning at this week planted lettuce in the red container and they are up and perfectly spaced, I have to cut corners someplace.:)

Silvia

FWIW, lettuce is super easy to transplant - it seems to withstand a lot of handling. I broadcast/sow it in flats or celpacks and transplant @ just about any size, being careful to keep the roots as intact as possible. Even if several plants are growing in 1 cel, I can usually gently tease the roots apart & transplant w/ success.

I always water transplants in w/ Maxicrop seaweed extract &/or compost tea, which seems to make a difference.

I had to give up veggie gardening because of squirrels. They ate most of the seeds and starts, and if anything did grow and fruit, they ate that too. It made me nuts! So I gave up.

Darlene

STEP ONE; peel and eat the squirrels!

STEP TWO; peel and eat the armadillos

STEP THREE; plant garden

Lol, Lou, I like the salt shaker idea too.

Carol, you are absolutely right. If the pelletized seed doesn't come through for me, I will try this route. You and Silvia have given me hope again that by trying different things, I can hopefully have success! Thank-you! That's what makes this forum so great. We all try to help each other.

Drudadunat, I have a big squirrel problem too. Today I had several things dug up by them again. They exasperate me big-time. I had to give away my mango tree because we never got any mangoes. None. They ate them all.

Thanks all!

Anna

Anna,
As a test you can try putting a large clear plastic drink cup over a few of the small plants each night just to see if your problem is coming from underground or above ground. Put a weight on the inverted cup bottom to hold it down. Be sure to remove it every morning so the sun's heat don't build up in the cup and burn the plant. This should pinpoint whether you have an underground critter/bug or an above ground. If the cup is toppled over then it's a larger critter, squirrel or armadillo. This test should help you pinpoint your problem, then you can deal with it. The hardest part is identifying what exactly is killing your plants. Just don't give up, we all have garden problems of some sort (all my summer squash plants were killed by a fungus, you are not alone in this fight).
I hope this helps, Lou

Anna,
Just to add a note of humor to your thread - I just returned from Jessica's Stand with a basket full of their veggies - lettuce, beets, cucs, etc etc.
Oh so easy to have!!!
But I know the joy of growing your own, so keep at it.
BTW, they were selling starts of purple cherokee tomatoes - my favorite, so I'll try one in a container.
See you soon,
Hester

Lou, I think I have problems both above and below ground! This morning I could see large paw prints in my small bed and actual holes in my big bed. This happens maybe two or three times a week. I know there are possums and raccoons out there, and I will never get rid of those. Yesterday there was a squirrel digging in the soft dirt disrupting my mesclun greens as I was watering the pots. Imagine, not even the decency to wait till I am gone! Although I have not seen the cut worms, I imagine that's my main problem as many seedlings are found cut off at ground level. I also have tiny snails, asd I don't know whether they are damaging or just scavengers of dead material. So, you see, I am dealing with a lot of different pests at the same time. It is a small garden, but it attracts a lot of attention!

Hester, Jessica's is a wonderful place. Wish it was closer to me. I stopped at Yoder's stand today and got some veggies also. They usually have a decent selection of local stuff, including eggs and milk, but lots of their stuff is not local.

Alright, I do have to mention I've had a little success so far in my garden. I've picked maybe three cucumbers, a few butterstick zucchini, and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. The basil has been going since spring and is still pretty good. I am continuing to try! We'll see what happens.

Anna

See Anna things aren't as bad as you think. You're getting cucumbers, zucchini, basil, and tomatoes! You just need to think more about the positive aspects of your garden. You have more good things in your garden than probably 95% of the people in Florida.

The stinking squirrels have gone through my pots digging this morning too. They don't eat anything; they just like to mess with my head.

Squirrel problems...well, I use bird repeller ribbon. I buy it online at Forestry Supply. It's a holographic ribbon and I secure it on each side of a shephard's hook. This way I can move them around the yard to use where needed.

The repeller ribbon works 100% for squirrels and less so for the large crows. Squirrels used to eat up my greens, especially Swiss chard but that's not a problem anymore. You might want to check it out.

Also, you may want to consider placing a dark hose in a wiggling shape to resemble a snake. These 2 "tricks" work very well for me. I lost no blueberries to squirrels or birds. Imagine that!

Christine

Hi Anna, I'm late posting because we've been away. YOUR TOO EARLY!!!!! YOU'RE ZONE 10!!!!! Stop listening to all these folks in Zone 9! Repeat after me, BUG FEST AND SOIL PROBLEMS.... Don't start cold season crops until December....

Just wondering if anyone has tried offering the squirrels something else to eat, away from the garden, to keep them off the veggies? IOW, squirrel feeders?

I know providing a water source for the birds keeps them from pecking tomatoes, etc.

Not speaking from any experience here, thankfully we're on an island, so no squirrels here - mainly rats - which I treat w/poison bait.

FWIW

Sally, I did not see your post before. Sorry. My beds are similar to Silvias (raised with a barrier), but not as deep. I have a large bed where I did not put cardboard at the bottom, just piled dirt on top, but I've also put all kinds of organic stuff in it every year including grass clippings, coffee grounds, waterlily leaves, oak leaves, etc, so I do have a lot of bugs. Despite all the organic material I still have nematodes, too. My smaller bed is more of black kow, but that's where I have the largest problem with the cutworms.

Amberroses, you are right, I shouldn't be complaining, but I keep thinking I'm going to do better and am disappointed when I don't. Yes, my squirrels don't really eat the veggies as much as they dig to bury stuff. Of course they like to dig where the soil is the softest and able to conceal their treats, and that's usually where I've planted things.

Christine, what a great idea with the holographic tape! I am going to get some and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for the suggestion! I do have black soaker hoses all over the garden, and even a resident black racer that loves to sun himself in the garden, but the squirrels just wait till he's gone. I have zillions of squirrels. No joke.

Tom, I know it's more difficult in the heat, but I have had earlier success other years and I cannot wait till December! Even if only some of the stuff takes, it's something! I have to keep trying. Have to. In another week or two when it cools down further, I am going to order beneficial nematodes for cutworm control. I am hoping that will work. It is just still too hot during the day to spray them now.

Carol, what island are you on? East or West Coast? Lucky you with no squirrels.

Anna

I agree with feeding the squirrels. It's very effective. I feed my squirrels BBs and small lead pellets. Wish I had such a trick for the nematodes.

Sounds like you need a smile. Maybe this?

A gardener named Anna was low,
None of her veggies would grow,
Everything that she planted,
Either died or grew slanted,
Oh what could our gardener now sow?

She came upon a great solution,
It was almost a green revolution,
Her garden would thrive,
Her spirits revive,
She knew this would be resolution.

Under cover of darkness she crept,
While all in her household just slept,
She had been to the grocery that day,
Bought enough veggies to make a buffet,
She'd show them she wasn't inept.

The next morning when her family looked out,
Anna could preen and be proud and flout,
For all could see the bounty and sigh,
The ground was littered with veggies piled high,
She was a successful grower no doubt.

Keep at it. Sometimes the pleasure is in the the trying, regardless of the outcome. Makes us appreciate farmers, doesn't it?

Ha ha ha, hee hee hee! Thanks so much Billbrandi! You helped me put it all in perspective! I love your poems. Great start to the morning.

Anna

billbrandi you are a wonderful poet. made me smile and smile.
Anna deserves a poem after all her woes and unsinkable spirit.
I'm with Tom, too soon but close...:-)

Denise

FWIW, we're on the barrier island between Treasure Island & St. Petersburg mainland. Several years ago there was 1 lonely, feeble-looking squirrel in our live oak, but I haven't seen it since - I have no idea how it got here - maybe a hawk dropped it?

We DO, however, have racoons & possums, but I have not seen any of those around here lately either - fingers crossed.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Planet Natural - animal repellents

AnnaFl I feel your pain. I got a late start because of the heat and now I am fighting bugs. Had my entire yard sprayed twice and nothing seems to help. Just keep on trying...hopefully...

I don't see my last post from a couple of days ago. Carol, your barrier island sounds beautiful. Yes, I planted carrots yesterday, (the pelleted ones Silvia recommended), and this morning, there were holes all in the area I planted them. Possums or raccoons, no doubt. Soooo angering!

I am really trying. Silvia, I got my pelleted lettuce and carrots, and I am trying those. You can see above what happened to the carrots. I will try again!

Christine, I have put the holographic tape in several areas of my garden and so far I have not seen squirrels in there since. Could this possibly be true? It's just been there a couple of days, though, so we'll see if they get used to it. It obviously doesn't work for raccoons and possums at night!

I have started lettuce, kale and beets, chard in small pots. I will transplant with collars when ready.

Silvia, I planted sugar snap peas in the same trellis area above. I did it as you suggested with coffee filters full of potting soil. We'll see what happens. They are coming up well so far.

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. Sooner or later I am bound to have success!

Anna

Hello. I had originally worried about squrills, possums, rabbits, etc. BUT, I wrapped the garden in chicken wire, including the area with containers, seed starts, etc.
It is not too expensive. I bought a roll of it, and the stakes to hold it in place. I also got some of the edging stuff used for landscapping, as it goes down pretty deep for digging buggers, and also helps to get the grass from crossing into the garden. Even though you would think the squrills would just jump in, they never do, not once. I have never had a problem with anything getting in. And i get some fun stuff in my yard.
I got lucky on this one and would recommend to anyone. also the idea of the black hose was a good one also, I think I'll do that one to help with the birds as I now have blueberrys.

Silvia- Your garden looks great as always. I have a question about growing lettuce. I decided to grow in containers- since I didn't have luck in the ground last year- it's actually doing good- I just pick off what I want. I did thin some of the containers out- but do I really need to do that?

Anna - I am glad that your garden is doing better and you are having some success, it is all good. The peas that I planted when I showed the coffee filters are up in my garden also, I have another problem with the beans and the peas, one of my little dogs is addicted to them, he can pull them and eat them when I am not looking, he is the one that likes tomatoes also. What I usually do is pick some ripe tomatoes and give him to keep him distracted from the beans. The other two dogs that I have are only interested in fruit, the little black dog goes for the blueberries, only the larger kind, she leaves the sunshine blues for me, lol.

Ebackman - It is so nice to hear that you are growing lettuce successfully, consider how expensive and wilted are the ones at the store, if you sow every 2 weeks a little bit, you can have a good supply.

Lettuce can be grown in different ways, any way that you prefer. Perfectly spaced in a bed or a container, just sprinkled and not thinning, use them as cut lettuce with scissors and will grow again. You can also transplant the thinnings to another place, I use a small spoon and keep it moist.

You can also grow small greens for a mix in a salad, I found a spinack that I like the name is Bordeaux and has red veins, also growing a gold container chard with very tender leaves, komatsuma an oriental green is also good and mild for salad. Experiment a little to see what you and your family like, you can make some really innovative mixes that you can not even buy at the store.

Silvia

Anna,
Keep up the gardening work. At some point, it will work out. At least that is what I hope, because it hasn't really worked out for me....yet.

I've tinkered around for a few years and finally got so frustrated, I started blogging what I was doing, just to keep a record. It just seemed to be the easiest way to keep track of what I was planting, when I was planting, and all my successes and failures.

I started in May and when I look back, it looks like alot of dismal failure. But now that I know what didn't work, I may be more successful next time.

Right now I am trying only three things: tomatoes, peppers, and cukes...all in pots.

I will keep hoping.

Shorembo, I too am trying to keep records (when I remember!), and it has helped me with some things. The successes keep me entertained enough so I keep going, but it is frustrating. The creatures and pests is the hardest, but thanks to others, I am trying new ideas now that I hope will work.

Let's keep trying and hoping!

Anna