Monday, August 4, 2008

Who is Eating My Squash Plants?

My 2008 garden is a mystery. I have never had any animal eat my squash plants but this year an animal is eating all of the leaves of my various kinds of squash. Some of the branches of my large tomato plants also to appear to have been eaten. My parsley, arugula, and cilantro have not been touched. My summer and winter squash plants are merely a few sticks in the ground. I always plant a summer squash and a winter squash, my most successful until this year was butternut squash.

No one is eating the cucumbers but their leaves are loaded with the "powdery wilt" as I call it. The plants are producing good little cucumbers the size of pickles but the leaves are totally white.

I planted Marigolds around my garden, that are doing terrific. My basil and rosemary are doing fine.

I have seen deer in our area and once in my yard, but my squash and tomato plants have never been disturbed.

It is a mystery as I have a small plastic fence around the garden. Could it be a large bunny standing on his hind legs to nibble squash plants as we have few of his favorites growing in our yard?

Luckily, the tomato plants are large and do have green tomatoes on them. I wonder if they will also disappear? My Marglobe, Hillbilly, and Mr. Stripey tomato, are heirlooms and all have green tomatoes on them. The hybrid, Sweet 100 cherry tomato, a favorite of my mother, is huge and is bearing many cherry tomatoes.

In any case, who is eating my squash plants?

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