Birds! You know, I did consider that it might be birds, but I couldn't figure out why they would be interested in my cucumber seedlings! :-( Just being destructive for the heck of it? There is no insect infestation that could be attracting them, and they are only picking on these particular cucumbers, don't care about the cucumbers in the other bed or the peas or the beans or anything else, it seems. Any ideas as to what the attraction is for them?

Grrrrrr! The sad thing is, that I actually prepared some CDs on wire to hang around the bed just in case it might be birds; figured the CDs were shiny and would move in the wind and scare away critters. I had observed a young robin hanging out in the veggie area, which is why I was suspicious. But, I didn't put my "scary discs" up because I couldn't figure out why birds would be attacking the cucumbers.

Now that it is too late, I think I will put them out today, lol. Maybe if I had put them out when I first began seeing my tiny plants getting destroyed, I might have saved some of the long lost seedlings. Live and learn!

Holly

Your birds (if it is birds) just have a taste for these particular cucumbers it would seem. I have a friend who has to keep his chamomile under lock and key because his chickens will devour it! My pea-eating friends luckily only want the leaves and don't bother the actual pea pods. You might try putting cloth over the seedlings in future until they are big enough to lose a few leaves ?

Placing a cloth/row cover or even chicken/rabbit wire over the seedlings until they are big enough to be uninteresting to the birds, or, whatever my mysterious cucumber destroyers are, sounds as if it would work as a deterrent; thank you for the idea, max! I will plan for that next year. It's either that or I will have to buy all of my cucumber starts because I really don't have an ideal area in my house in which to start seeds.

Holly

It shouldn't be too late for cucumbers, Holly. Did I miss something, are you not planning on replacing your lost cukes? Put up the bird scares and put more seed in the ground, okay?

Not entirely trusting my cucumbers struggling through a very difficult month of variable weather, I started more plants to set out in a couple of weeks. That was just today!

I've had bad cucumber seasons when only one or two fruits were produced on each vine. This might be one of those years for the early planted cukes.

Too late to recruit more melons but not summer squash and cucumbers!

Steve

Wow! I've never seen anything like that! Can't imagine what else could make "beak shaped" holes in something, so I guess I agree that it could be birds! (But I feed the birds and have dozens and dozens of them around every day and have never had any kind of damage like that--on ANY kind of plant. Some birds must have very different tastes!)

I agree that if it is birds, reflector tape, CDs, or something shiny like pieces of tin foil, should scare them away. Certainly a cheap thing to try! "Tenting" some 1" chicken wire over the area should help too--unless it's some very small birds!

I wouldn't give up on growing a few this year yet--and trying it again now might help you figure out more exactly what you're actually dealing with so you can be prepared for next spring by having your "plans" all in place.

If you ever happen to see what kind of birds it is, and you know what they are, or can get a pic, come let us know. I'm really curious!

Skybird

Need to say, Holly: Lemon cucumbers are about the latest variety I have ever grown. Waiting until September is a possibility. You might want to look for different seed.

Steve

Here are my stunted cukes.

The birds I've seen nipping at my peas are rosy finches...very common over here. I have bird feeders too, and the peas are the only thing I've ever seen them eat. Must have a hankering for a salad from time to time! Luckily it hasn't really damaged the vines, so I don't worry about it

No, I haven't given up on my attempt to have cucumbers this year. Feeling a bit discouraged, but my Lemon Cucumber and Homegrown Pickles seedlings are still surviving, and I have purchased and planted cucumber starts of Straight Eight, Boston Pickles and Burpless Cucumbers. Nothing is bothering the larger plants and yesterday I put up some caging around the seedlings and put up my "scary CDs" in hopes of protecting them.

The only "caging" material I had available, unfortunately, was some rabbit fencing and ornamental wire fencing - rather large openings I am afraid, especially if the finches here are the culprit as they are for you, ! We have House Finches, and they are small enough that I imagine they will find their way through my "barricades" easily if they are determined enough - perhaps the fencing will look dangerous and discourage them!

I have never seen this sort of damage before, either, Skybird. and still have no idea why birds would have any interest in pecking at cucumber seedling leaves, mostly without eating them. Thus far I have been unable to catch anything in the act, but since maxinmontrose has actually observed birds doing similar damage to the leaves of his pea plants, I think it is probably birds here, too.

Birds are part of a healthy environment and I do what I can to encourage them to be in my yard and gardens. I have bird feeders and birdbaths set up, grow sunflowers and other plants to attract them. I enjoy watching and hearing the birds, even though most of the ones visiting this part of Denver are probably considered common and boring. An added benefit, of course, is that many of them eat the bugs that bother our plants the most - even House Finches, supposed vegetarians that they are, eat the occasional aphid. I can live with this destructive behavior, as long as it is only the cucumber seedlings that attract them! I can't deny a fellow creature her or his need for salad - who doesn't like salads?!?

Holly

Good luck!

I almost always cover direct sown seedlings with chicken wire or rolled fencing. It's enough to deter squirrels, cats and birds. Once the seedlings have a couple sets of true leaves the fencing comes off.

I have learned my lesson, gjcore, lol. I apparently have been quite lucky because, until this year, I never had a problem with something grazing on my seedlings. I will be better prepared for it next year and will have chicken wire or the like ready to cover up the areas where I direct sow seeds.

Holly

I had the same problem with my first cucumbers and with beets as well. I grow in raised beds and noticed that the outside of the beets were getting nipped almost to the ground. And looking out my window that overlooks the garden, I observed several common sparrows just nipping away at the beets. They left the radishes alone that were planted right next to them but returned daily to munch on the beets and later on the cucumbers. I replanted and put up a barrier to give the new seedlings a chance and things are proceeding nicely. I also have some doves that prowl around the garden as well and get water from the ponds so they may be guilty as well. Good luck if you replant.

George

I have replanted once, the result being that most of the new seedlings were also destroyed but two cultivars are surviving and I think they will make it now - my inadequate barriers must be working or the seedlings are big enough now that the birds have lost interest! With these cucumber plants and the plants that I have purchased, we may have some cucumbers this year after all.

(By the way, Steve, though your cucumber plants are stunted, they are still way ahead of mine! Hope they take off for you and produce. Last year I tried growing cucumbers in some containers with adequate trellising. I tried some new potting soil and I don't know if it was that or my cultural practices (not enough water or water inconsistently applied?) but none of the plants were happy and the vine growth was meager, maybe got about two cucumbers from each, and they were so horribly bitter that they were inedible. Cucumbers are apparently more difficult to grow properly than I had realized.)

Thank you everyone for your responses. Now I know that in addition to hail and aphids and flea beetles and slugs and bindweed and soil with too much clay and too much alkalinity, I also have to watch out for the birds - which I had always before thought of as my helpers in the garden, lol.

Holly

Something ate ALL the leaves off my cucumber plants and just left all stems. (planted in a huge pot up on a second floor deck with stairs up to the deck. Whatever it is (and I, also, believe it's a 4 legged animal) ate all the lettuce leaves in several flower pots. These are all up on a 2nd floor deck with stairs up to the deck. Would a ground hog, possum, raccoon or what do this? The deer can't get up there.

It was okay looking back exactly 3 years and realizing that my cucumbers are in about the same condition today as they were then. I really knew that this year's wind and cold mornings were not much different from usual.

I have seen marmots on top of garages! How they get up there isn't very clear to me. Of course, tree squirrels are regularly on the roof of my house.

My first thought was a squirrel but tree squirrels and the family Marmoto are likely to have similar appetites.

Steve