garden woes

[cookiedough]

our zucchini plants all 4 of them were doing really well until about 1 month ago right when the flowers were out ready to make a small zucchini 2 of the 4 plants green leaves wilted and turned yellow and died.  A 3rd plant is near dead and now only 1 left.  I wonder if a blight or some bug got into them or disease?  Anyone ever had that first time for us.  

Now we also got something digging holes in the dirt all over our potatoe plants which are near ready to dig up and have dug up a few golfball near baseball sized potatoes plant leaves are starting to die down which means ready for picking.
 
Plus,  some critter first time ever is now eating our beets chewing on them some ready to pick now.  What critter chews on beats above the ground?    I am pretty sure the critters in the ground are moles ugly things for sure but usually if they are in the garden they are in the lawn and no mole ruts in our grass yet this year, very odd.  One year was horrible devastated our grass alongside the house all over with trenches not so this year so far.   I just cut my hair so saving the clippings to spread around the beets tomorrow hoping human hair smell will make the critter go away, maybe rabbitsgot tons of them, do they eat beets?  no idea since not many squirrels in the area nor any chipmunks that I know of.  Do moles go above the ground at night or early morning/late night to eat beets just above the dirt?

Our strawberry and raspberry plant leaves and wifes nice rose bush also got devastated early on by the japanese bettles eating all the leaves up and what very few early stawberries got eaten up by the pesky robin birds.  I have a japanese bettle bag out near the garden and have been catching a huge BAG full of live japanese bettles burning them every 2-3 days is full of them smelly things.

Only thing going good still is green beans and her kohlrabi and hopefully for a HUGE crop of potatoes if whatever is digging holes in the dirt all over them do not eat them as well.  

[Moonshot_1]

Are all your plants masked and socially distanced?

I'd get one of those motion cameras out there to see what is attacking your plants.

Then off the critter.

[sandy]

I garden well. When COVID started, I planted my butt in the couch and it’s grown quite well.

[Oss]

Bait some rat traps with peanut butter
If rodent it will get it
If groundhog 2 pack set of haveaheart traps are
Cheap.  Same bait with a ripe fruit will catch it or rabbits

[Patrick]

I have to set out live traps every year. It surprising what you'll catch. Even birds.

There should have some indication if you got hit with blight. Blight is common but controllable when caught early enough.

The early May cold snap made my tomato mad, they would shake their fists at me every time I walked past them. They are stating to produce now almost a month late.

The deer are eating the heck out of everything which was never a problem before. They're eating the heck out of the cucumbers.

Hand spray the plants with power soda, milk and dish soap lightly.

[cookiedough]

I see farm and fleet has a medium and large trap with 1 door by Havehart on clearance both for 40 bucks in a 2-pack,  so might just go do that and see what I catch.   I know rabbits will be caught but not so sure I have a groundhog (doubt it in my area) but know moles will not be caught in it underground critters. wish I could catch them in traps but dug one up with my rototiller years ago and landed dead on my rubber boots ugliest thing ever seen and HUGE.    Squirrels might be caught but more so raccoons and skunks and possums tons all over.   I trapped years ago in the 1990s and always came up with skunks, coons, and possums no rabbits.  Even caught the neighbors up the street cat which I was unaware was theirs so sent it to the county humane society, oops. 

[oldsmokey]

I believe there is a vine boring beetle that likes squash. Look at the very base of the vine for damage.

Have had an abundance of rabbits lately here, but have also noticed not much yipping from the coyotes???

 A wood chuck has devoured a complete row of veggies overnight, rabbits might not be so greedy, just a little each day.

[cookiedough]

I believe there is a vine boring beetle that likes squash. Look at the very base of the vine for damage.

Have had an abundance of rabbits lately here, but have also noticed not much yipping from the coyotes???

 A wood chuck has devoured a complete row of veggies overnight, rabbits might not be so greedy, just a little each day.

only 1 dismal zucchini plant left and is done for nothing will grow on it now.  Tonight while picking my 4 20 foot rows of green beans 2 big bowls full, I did see a bunch of round golf ball sized holes where the other 3 zucchini plants were NOT HUGE holes smaller than baseball but tad bit rounder/bigger than golfball size.  something was digging under those zucchini plants underground for sure.  Same way with our potatoes holes all over same size on other side of our garden/yard.  WE picked 10 or so potatoes and 1 of them was also nibbled on underground for sure on that one pretty bad darn it.    Temped to buy some m80 bangers bigger than firecrackers I might have some and put in hole few inches and run away make it go POOF.  Or put a few smoke bombs down those holes 6 inches or so.

[cookiedough]

I believe there is a vine boring beetle that likes squash. Look at the very base of the vine for damage.

Have had an abundance of rabbits lately here, but have also noticed not much yipping from the coyotes???

 A wood chuck has devoured a complete row of veggies overnight, rabbits might not be so greedy, just a little each day.

no bugs or beetles on the zucchini just the darn japanese beetles on strawberries, some on potatoe leaves and raspberries along with rose bush badly and some on the green beans as well eating the leaves.  The zucchini leaves were fine no holes in them not eating the leaves anything just the leaves themselves turned yellow ASAP and wilted down dying ASAP vs. green and lush like they were all of a sudden.    Never EVER had that in 20+ years of gardening yellow wilted dead leaves when they were perfectly good looking and TONS of blossoms on them a few weeks ago and now nothing much left. WE got like 2 small zucchinis out  of 1 of the 4 plants is all before dead and had TONS and TONS of blossoms on them almost start of dozens of nice small zucchinis few weeks ago.  Too late now but something is not right.   The 4 tomato plants right in front of the zucchini are doing fine and green but taking forever to turn ripe tomatoes.  Green beans are fine as well in same area even though see a few small holes in dirt there as well but not as many where zucchini plants were.  I have a big pick axe super heavy I might just go out there where 3 zucchini plants were all over and try stabbing a few of whatever is living under the dirt?  guessing moles since have had them every single year where I live.

[Patrick]

Like old smokey mentioned, vine borers are sneaky, hard to see where they get in.

[Rams]

I was always told that the best place to live was between neighbors with a boat and a pool.   I would like to add one to that list.   Neighbors with gardens are wonderful..... 

Rams

[cookiedough]

I believe there is a vine boring beetle that likes squash. Look at the very base of the vine for damage.

Have had an abundance of rabbits lately here, but have also noticed not much yipping from the coyotes???

 A wood chuck has devoured a complete row of veggies overnight, rabbits might not be so greedy, just a little each day.

speaking of coyotes,  last week we heard a pack of them in our town in farmers field about 20 yards tops behind our house, if not closer.  I am a heavy sleeper wife says a heard of elephants could not wake me, but the howling and yipping going on around 2 a.m. was so eery and LOUD freeked me out more than 1 coyote for sure and what was going on was anyone's guess.  I shined a flashlight thru the window in the farmers field knowing probably not see anything in the bean patch farmer had but whatever was out there (maybe aliens since sounded out of this world eery),  the flashlight did the trick they stopped ASAP and must have took off. I know we have coyotes and fox's in the surrounding woods all over around our town since have seen both with one mangy ugly fox coming into our yard as I was walking out one night soon to be dark freaking me out 10 yards in front of me staring at me like I was lunch.   It was either a fight amongst them or they caught something fighting over it and squealing was going on and tons of yipping and yelping and howling and screatching. 

[Jess from VA]

Related to animals (and not gardens), I have seem more fox in our neighborhood this year than all other sightings in my life.  

About two months ago, late, I heard what sounded like a small child screaming bloody murder (very disturbing).  I got up and opened a window, but it stopped and I didn't see anything.  The next night it started again late.  I got up again and opened a window, then ran to a front window and saw a shadow animal screaming childlike noises.  Put my brightest led spot on it and yelled for her to scram, and it's a fox.  It took off fast.  I figure this is a female fox sex thing.  Seen them (singles) loping around the neighborhood like coyotes in my daylight morning walks.  They can be a rabies threat in my area.

My wife keeps her (spare) Marauder in my driveway under a nice (expensive) cover.  Weeks ago, something took to chewing holes in it, up on the hood (with toenail scratches).  I'd had troubles before with squirrels, but this damage was worse and took more strength than squirrels (and was happening at night).  Maybe a feral cat or racoon?  I taped the holes up the best I could, and it stopped.  Last night at 2A, I happen to look out and see a larger animal on top the hood again, with big ears, and I think it was a damn fox.  I open the window and yell and it takes off at hyper speed.  I go out there, and it's torn-shredded another hole in the hood cover and the whole driver's mirror pocket off.  It's a hard angle to observe from my kitchen window, and a rifle shot would have a decent chance of grooving the paint (which would not be good).

It's hard to figure the pure destructiveness/devilment of a fox shredding a car cover.   And harder still to figure how to trap or kill it.  Those covers run around $300, and the paint on that car is very nice.      

[Patrick]

Critters ? I like em around.

The coyotes serenade us often. It means they got something. I hate em and try to shoot every one I can, crows too.

Other than that, I like all the other critters hanging around. There are 17 turkeys, momma deer with their fawns. Bear sightings keep increasing, I haven't seem one in awhile though.