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Ny

I've planted approximately an acre of pumpkins/winter squash from seed for several years and grown them for our own use for over 10 years. This year because of the rain I planted later than usual, but within the limits. When I went to check on my field to start weeding two weeks later there were no plants! I walked the field and there are maybe 10 plants total in the whole acre. I can see seedling pulled up all over. I checked in the ground and I see no seeds so it looks like they all germinated. Would birds have pulled up an entire acre of seeds? There are a few deer footprints, but not all over.

7/9/2019 9:56:58 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I have had groundhogs dig plants out of the ground. I also know that farmers around here have watched turkeys go into freshly planted corn fields and dig the seed out. But I doubt that they would pull plants out. Birds eat seeds, bugs and worms. Geese grace on green plants but they eat them off instead of pulling them out. My guess is groundhogs.

7/9/2019 12:00:44 PM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

I have a friend who grows commercial field pumpkins. Over the years he has had problems with all of the critters but believe Crows are his worse nemesis. I think when the seedlings emerge with the seed coat still attached the crows have a field day with them. Probably turkeys too.

7/9/2019 2:30:45 PM

JACKSON, WISCONSIN. ; )

Sand hill cranes do a great job of pulling out whole rows of corn around here a lot of critters like baby plants trail cameras do a great job of seeing what’s around... skunks dig for bugs in the soil as well

7/10/2019 2:41:41 AM

Hadley Ny

I had the same problem several years ago. Seedlings pulled up all over. It was crows. They would go right down a row and pull the seedlings out.

7/10/2019 5:16:01 AM