Something Dug Up my Recent Plantings

I'm guessing a raccoon dug up 3 of my 6 tomato plants and ate them.

Is this common? Any suggestions to stop it?

Thanks for all the help and tips here, my first few years of growing tomatoes has gone fairly well!


This message was edited May 20, 2015 8:07 AM

Deer?

Any foot prints?

No foot prints, I think it was just a curious animal since I found the plants mixed in with the dirt, it didn't eat them.
But I do think it ate some of the Begonia tubers from some front pots.

There've been a momma and babby rabbit in the garden several times when I've gone out there, don't know if they are the diggers.

I replaced 3 that were dug up with super sweet 100s that I found about a month ago, now 3 more were eaten!!!!!!

We ran an irrigation drip line out to the garden last summer and I also burried an extension cord along with it so I have power out there. Is there a motion sensing noise maker or something that works well to scare them away?

I suppose a scare crow might work?

There is also a deer that I see at the opposite end of the back yard, not sure which is more likely.

I think it is the deer now since one of the taller tomato plants was eaten about two feet up the plant. I saw a deer last year during a light rainstorm actually, lay down under our Mulberry tree, just relaxing and watching the rain - I guess. Yesterday I saw a big pile of, I think, deer poop under that tree, something I've never seen before in our yard.

The animal ate nearly everything from my 6 tomato plants, I got 2 red cherries this year when usually I get 100s. The late summer has been very dry and everyone I've talked to in the area says the same thing, their entire gardens wiped out.

I think I'm going to put up an electric fence next year. Just bought the energizer for $35.

I will set up the electric fence in the Spring, but I also found this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Shr56nX28

And this one about an egg solution that you have to put on every 2 weeks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRsBrswGj54

I ended up electrifying 54" tomato cages by using .25" ID hose from HD to insulate the feet, then wiring them up to the energizer. I did two cages, then also put insulated poles in the ground and ran the wire around them to make a small fence for one other large plant that wouldn't fit in a cage. Seems to be working!
I added U shaped wire to drop lower from the cage in case the animal is something small like a rabbit.
I'll post a pic of the cages when I have a chance.