Something is eating my broccoli!

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by Shawchert, Jul 9, 2014.

  1. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    it is big but it's leaving all my other plants alone, even the tomatoes.... what could be eating my broccoli? whatever it or they were, chewed off all the leaves then pulled them out of the ground. I transplanted what I could into a big pot and they are in my apartment for now, but i doubt they will grow much without their leaves :( I want to know what the heck is eating just my broccoli. Whatever it is, i think MAY have started on my tomatoes but I can't be too sure.... the plants are in a town where houses are close together and there are no woods withon 300+ yards. I haven't seen rabbits or anything like that... but I figure if a rabbit will eat the broccoli it would have gone after my carrots last year and would be eating my tomatoes and other stuff now... :(
     
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  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Are you sure the culprit isn't the two legged variety? In a close city situation it isn't totally uncommon for people walking or driving by to return at night for a little harvesting. :eek:
     
  4. Beeker

    Beeker In Flower

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    Skunks or raccoons, perhaps?
    Maybe even cats.
     
  5. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    it's in my parents back yard they would have to go through the gravel driveway without alerting the dog, and then through the gate and over another little gate that is to keep the dog out. (it does, he can't jump worth his life), and the tips are more chewed off than pulled off really, I'm just upset that they were doing SOOOOwell and then suddenly they got chewed on entirely, like there are no leaves and some were just pulled right out through the roots... ghaaa it's upsetting :( I'll find out tomorrow if whatever it is is coming for the other stuff, if so I have to invest in a net or something... I'm so upset, :(
     



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  6. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    Also this is what it looks like:

    [​IMG]

    here is a picture of my garden early, but you can see the small fence which is wrapped around the whole vacinity so it's got an unstable fence, but it is a fence :X

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Jewell

    Jewell Incorrigible Gardener Plants Contributor

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    Raccoons. They are town and city dwellers now. If you haven't seen the PBS Special Raccoon Nation watch it on YouTube. This morning I listened to the crows being upset by our resident bandit in the neighboring fir trees. One year they took bites out of my cabbages. Before I set an alternating electric fence wire around the fish pond they threw all the fish out of the water one night, ate a few, left some flopping out of water. Definite bandits in my neighborhood.
     
  8. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Is the broccoli close to the fence ?
     
  9. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Looks more like deer reaching over the fence. That's why its pulled up.
     
  10. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    i highly doubt that deer would walk through a highway to jump the parents fence to get into the little fence to eat my broccoli, and no it wasn't really close to the fence. In any case I checked the garden today and nothing else had been eaten so crossing my fingers!!
     
  11. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    That's the only thing I know that would nip it off that clean. There are no chew marks below the break. Raccoons would have chewed it, their teeth are slim and could not have bitten it off like that I don`t think. Broccoli is not something they would like anyway, they would have cleaned out everything in the garden and left a mess as well.
     
  12. Beeker

    Beeker In Flower

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    My first thought is a deer, too, especially because it is cut off so clean. It looks just like what they do to hostas.
    My next thought would be a rabbit. In my garden, they went after the broccoli leaves and left my carrots alone. Maybe because the carrots aren't ready yet.
    Just my 2 cents.
     
  13. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Rabbits would be a possibility except the plants were pulled up. Broccoli are good size plants,,not sure they could do that. And if it were rabbits you could see where they were getting under the fence. Have to have a way in and out or they would still be in there.
     
  14. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    so it seems that my parents have a groundhog and my brother saw a rabbit, so it could be one or both... but I will have to reenforce my garden, checked again and nothing else was eaten thank goodness. i dunno why they went after only my broccoli, but i won't complain TOO much, I guess they were just that good ;)
     
  15. Shawchert

    Shawchert In Flower

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    well i transplanted two of the plants into a large pot... I can't help it I want to give things a chance, they live!! Though I doubt I'll get anything from them... I let them grow :D
     
  16. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    Looks like deer damage to me. I have a pole bean...JUST ONE- it was a volunteer seed, that the deer keep nipping off the leaves. The beets look exactly like your broccoli.
     

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