# something eating my beets & chard



## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Some rodent is gnawing these off close to the ground- presume eating the bottom of plant/top of root for the sweetness. Not knowing what else to do, I put small mousetraps baiting with liquid attractant and box traps in & around. So far only one rodent caught, and that was under the lettuce. Today I put small pieces of wire fence along both sides of the row to do _something_, but I have my doubts. What sort of rodent is this likely to be? What do I do to get rid of it & to protect the plants? Any better planting ideas? The last two years, my 4 foot row of chard lasted all season ( Thanks, Sue


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Sounds like a rabbit to me...


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Beets and chard are favorite food for deer. If you have deer around, that's what they go for. I've grown beets and chard in my home garden for many years and have had rabbits get in just about every one of them. Rabbits never bother them.

Martin


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Could be rabbit. deer not generally getting in the garden, guess there's enough other stuff for them to eat. guessing deer would pull up & eat the whole plant, not chew them off and nibble at the base, too. I have the garden fenced in quadrants using pig panels, and keep areas outside mowed. I'm adding wire fence over the panels, since rabbits & woodchucks climb over the bottom close-spaced wires.


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Four possibilities--rabbit, ground hog, deer, chipmonk. Barriers, traps, electric fences, or rifle. Or share......
geo


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Deer won't pull a plant up unless it's just been planted and has no root system developed. If they do pull one up, they will not eat the roots. With beets, they eat the leaves and generally leave the stems. With lettuce, they simply mow it off.

Martin


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

definitely not the feeding pattern for deer, then. the leaves are left, bottom or stem nibbled & left in little sections, top of root gnawed. doesn't sound like woodchuck neither. rabbit, rodents.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

With top of roots being gnawed, and leaves left, finger now points to voles.

Martin


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## Rita (May 13, 2002)

I second the voles. They are destroying my son's potato crop so he dug all up rather than leaving in and digging as needed as he usually does.


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## piccololily (Mar 3, 2003)

I have a similar problem every year, but my culprit chews the whole plant down to the stem. If I can get the plants past the small seedling stage I usually don't have quite as many problems. Deer have definitely been a problem in the past, but this year it's the birds! They decimated the beets, broccoli, and my own ducks got the squash & melons! Again, once I get them past the small stage, they can usually make it. I finally got serious and made chicken wire hoops to go over the beds in question. A big pain, but at least now I can harvest something!


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