tomato and tomatillo sprouts getting leaves eaten?

[MrsBrady]

We have a new above ground garden, that is doing well.
I'm a new gardener, but not totally "green" (ha ha punny) as my husband and I helped our mothers and grandmothers, and we have friends to call for help.

We've planted a couple of varieties of peppers, tomatoes, green tomatillo, squash, watermelon, basil, cilantro, catnip

I over planted on purpose, so I'll be thinning plants in about 2-3 weeks.
It's a good thing I over planted. Something is eating? or something is happening to the tomato and tomatillo sprouts.

Right now they are only about an 1-2 inches high with their first leaves. No secondary leaves yet. They are about two weeks old from seed in our raised bed garden.

In the last day or two...the entire row is NOT getting eaten, just the sprouts on the west side...and only the tomato plants...nothing else. The stems are still there, but the leaves are gone.
I can't see any bugs...so I'm not sure what's going on. If it were a rodent, I would think they would hit other plants as well?

Should I go with neem? or something else if it is a worm or bug? Would like to stick with organic solutions if possible.
I didn't think it could be a worm as the plants are too small to support the weight of a worm? Birds?

Solutions/suggestions please. I noticed some people are using milk spray here and on other internet searches I've seen. Does that work for just fungus or does it work for other bugs?


edit: we're in the suburbs, the garden is about 12x4, planted with good, real horse manure compost from a local farmer, and organic top soil.
one of my friend/mom-types says it looks good.

[beac]

1. I had good luck last year with garlic spray.

I bought a bottle of "Garlic Barrier" (http://www.garlicbarrier.com ) which you mix 10:1 with water (10 water, 1 GB) and spray on plants in the morning.
It didn't repel everything (flea beetles & squash bugs seemed immune) but it did keep most other bugs at bay. The garden smells like a pizzeria for about half an hour, but the smell does go away. Also repels mosquitos, so that's a nice bonus. :)

That said, it only works if you can get it on with at least 24 hours of dry weather after application and it's been so rainy here that whatever is eating my marigolds has been laughing at my pitiful attempts to thwart them with garlic spray that gets washed away within hours. :(

[MrsBrady]

2. so you think it's a bug and not a critter?

i noticed a few of the stems are getting their secondary leaves....

why are they just hitting the tomato plants?

could it be a lizard? does this garlic stuff repel reptiles and birds, or just bugs?

[beac]

3. I'm assuming it's a bug since it isn't eating the whole seedling, but that's just my

partially-educated guess.

As for the spray, it does say it repels iguanas & birds: http://www.garlicbarrier.com/facts.html

Here is a site w/ some make-your-own insect repellent recipes:
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/non-commercial-pest-spray.pdf

You could also try covering them with remay or some other floating row cover. I'm using this kind this summer b/c it doesn't trap heat: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=82274 If you can't find it locally and need other stuff for your garden it's worth Googling "gardens alive coupon" and looking for a link for $25 off a $50 purchase (should be right at the top.)

Good luck!

[MrsBrady]

4. ok thanks for the info

I've ordered the garlic...

and will probably order that cover.

thanks again :hi:

[beac]

5. You're welcome!

I feel like I learned as much about bugs as I did about plants last year. Amazing how many little pests there are out there and I think I had just about every one of them.

Still searching for a magic solution to my groundhog problem. Little jerk doesn't seem to be repelled by anything. :mad:

[MrsBrady]

6. rattlesnakes, maybe?

and they wouldn't eat your plants, either...

:rofl: just kidding

[beac]

7. Don't laugh.

I may desperate enough to try snakes by the end of the summer!

[awoke_in_2003]

8. "The garden smells like a pizzeria for about half an hour"

you say that like it is a bad thing :hi:

[beac]

9. No, no, not a bad thing at all. Though it's funny looking at all my pretty flowers and craving

garlic bread. ;)

[WhiteTara]

10. I had cut leaf worms eating EVERYTHING in the bed

I hand picked the nasty little things off and they haven't returned. Look under the leaf and see if there is anything on the bottom side.

edited for spelling