what is eating my vegetables

Can anybody help me figure out what is eating on my veggies? I have Early Girl and Goliath tomatoes growing in a half barrel that have complete limbs that are missing foliage. There are small black dropping on the bare branches. I also noticed some bird dropping in the soil as well. I have cages around them which would give a bird a wonderful perch while pecking my plants.

I also have some green beans that are being nibbled on. They are in the garden which is not protected from wildlife. I've noticed a pair of doves haning out on the shed next to the garden and sometimes I seen the female in the garden. We also have a martin house that attracts lots of sparrows whcih I see near the garden. Is it the birds that are nibbling holes in the leaves of the beans, or some sort of insect. Here are some pictures.

Tomatoes

formatting link
formatting link
you, Brandon Riffel

Reply to
Brandon Riffel
Loading thread data ...

Tomatoes

formatting link
>

Beans

formatting link
> Thank you,

Go out before bedtime with a flashlight and you will probably see the culprit, IMO slugs. But it could easily be other pests, a few shallow pans of soapy water set beneath you plants will trap and drown the likely suspects. But a visual inspection at night will probably show you who is munching.

Reply to
beecrofter

You've got tomato hornworms, which are very well camouflaged and usually do all their chomping at night. I had huge infestations last year, and just pick them off rather than spray anything.

formatting link

Reply to
AlanG

Probably leaf beetles, but you might also have slugs mixed in for good measure.

I wouldn't be obsessed enough to set the alarm, but if I was up during the night I'd definitely go out and check the tomatoes and beans with a flashlight.

formatting link

Reply to
AlanG

As mentioned the tomatoes are being attacked by horn worm. You will be amazed how well camouflaged they will be...unless you lucked out and the bird dropping was from a bird that beat you to the worm....

Lar

Reply to
Lar

Tomato hornworms are large and thick, 3 inches long, and more, but their green color blends so well that they are hard to spot (they have spots also!). Find the droppings and look up...stare at the tomato plant, every branch, and keep staring until you spot it. They eat a lot and leave lots of droppings. Look at the area with the most damage, and the most recent damage. When you find one, it won't want to go and you won't want to grab it. It'll be a tug of war, but you will win.

jc

Reply to
jbclem

The first time I saw one, I heard it first. The munching sounds were clearly audible from 5 feet away. I was astounded that such a small creature could make that much noise. This is before playing in a band wrecked my ears, though.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

THANK YOU ALL! I will be out there tonight with the flashlight! I will probably check out the droppings and look for worms after work first. The strange thing is, they aren't going after the cherry tomatoes. Maybe they are just waiting until the Goliath plants are chewed up.

Thanks again!

Reply to
Brandon Riffel

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.