Question
I live in Tucson, Az. I have recently begun a fruit and vegetable garden. I am growing tomatoes, peppers,cilantro, basil, onions, cantalope, and strawberries. I put a wire mesh under the soil before planting and I have bird netting over everything. As soon as the cantalope plants start growing the top leaves are eaten off. Also my strawberry plants and cilantro are eaten. The rest of the plants are fine. The only thing I see near the plants are lizards which I thought were carnivorous. What could be eating my plants? How can I protect them? Any ideas?

Answer
Diane, it could be a 4-legged pest such as a rabbit, assuming it somehow is getting under the netting, or it could be crawling insects such as slugs, snails, or some sort of caterpillar. It is very difficult to speculate without more information.

To prevent animals from getting in the garden or eating the leaves once they grow through the netting, I always recommend reemay, also sold as floating garden covers. These are made from a woven material, much like sheer curtains. Nothing gets in except for water and air. The only problem with reemay is that bees cannot get to the flowering plants to pollinate. But generally, once the plants are mature enough to flower, animals are not attracted to the mature taste of the foliage.

If you have slugs or caterpillars, there are different controls for each. Caterpillars can be controlled with a product called BT, otherwise known as Bacillus Thuringiensis. It is a powder sold under the brand names Dipel, Green Step, and MVP. You can also purchase the liquid concentrate, which is sold by Bonide.

For slugs and snails, they are controlled by a product called Escar-go. This also is a powder that kills their digestive system causing them to dehydrate.

All of these products and more can be purchased through reputable garden centers or through mail-order companies such as Planet Natural and Gardens Alive. All of the products are organic, meaning they are non-toxic to humans and pets, and can be applied right up to harvest. Attached are links to these sites:

http://www.gardensalive.com
http://www.planetnatural.com

I hope this information helps. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike