Towhees?

Interesting possibility. We sure have lots of them. Do you think they are brave enough to squeeze under 5' wide 50' long remay which is anchored by rocks about every 8' along the edges? jwww

I've seen Brown Towhees in San Diego digging them up and leaving the neat holes so I would agree. I also had peas disappear from under my tunnels, leaving neat little circular holes. What I tried when I replanted was to cut lots of sprigs from my Red Cedars and lay them on top of the row. The birds can't see the seedlings come up or get through the cedar leaves to dig. I'm happy to report this time there is a fair number of peas and also beans up. I had to do this in San Diego also but there I used Salad Burnet plants that came up everywhere to lay on the rows.

Mice or voles could be the culprit. Try setting a few traps.

could it be arm worms or cut worms?

>There are neat holes where each seed was and a few where I can see part of the remaining seed/sprout in the ground>I've seen Brown Towhees in San Diego digging them up and leaving the neat holes so I would agree

I miss Towhees. I haven't seen one this year at my rural place in Lewis county. I have a hard time imagining them lifting up row covers to eat seed. Keep us informed Judy,
because I'd like to know about the varmint, bird or not.

I just cut old fronds off of lots of ferns so i think tomorrow i will uncover my bean row and cover with the fronds and then recover. I hope that the Towhees haven't learned that remay means food below.

The only flaw in the towhee theory is that we have had them all winter. Why didn't they get the first planting??????

I don't see any nearby vole holes. I guess it could be mice but i don't want to set traps where I might catch a bird.

The holes are about 3/4 to 1 inch across and 1 to 1.5 inches deep. The holes are very clean and cylindrical not sloped in. jwww

NOW its got my corn!@#^*!!*#!
I planted four 50' rows of sweet corn and covered them with remay held down at close intervals by rocks. When I lifted the cover I found that all but about 15 plants were gone and there were the same neat holes that I found with the peas. I have been planting the same way in the same garden for 30 years and have never had anything like this happen until I lost my second planting of peas earlier this spring. A summer without corn... ;-(

As a result of the advice from "hemnancy" I covered my green bean seed row with fern fronds before covering it with the remay ...... NO LOSS!!!!! I've planted another row of beans with just the fern fronds as an experiment.

No vole holes. Towhees are around but the remay was barely ruffled and all rows remained covered. I'm not sure I can buy the towhee theory...any other thoughts? jwww

Do you have quail? A friend of ours is losing all sorts of seeds to them. Keep us informed, I want to hear the answer to the mystery.

We have quail but i don't think they could get under the garden fence and they certainly could not get under the sheets of remay without disturbing them.

Good news is that the beans with just the fern fronds and no remay seem to be fine....thansk to "hemnancy" for the tip. jwww