A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Who is digging up my corn seed every night?

I planted 112 corn seeds two nights ago. The first night about half of the seeds where dug up and gone. I replanted yesterday and last night the same thing happened. The hole is smalland the seed is carefully removed. I am going to replant again today but what should I do tonight? I don't know if it is a bird, squirrel or other little critter. This is making me crazy? I need advice.

Hard to say, could be a raccoon, possum, armadillo, perhaps even a squirrel, chipmunk or a late nite visiting crow. See if there are recognizable tracks, but...the only thing that occurs to me immediately, is to spray the area with "Mole-B-Gone" or any of the other castor oil repellents...that or trapping in a live trap.
Sounds like war.
Where are you?

Wow. I would be crying if this happened to me. I don't grow corn, but I wonder if there isn't some row cover you could use to cover the seeds until they germinate. (Assuming the thief is coming from above & not below.) Also, what about trying to scare whatever it is away with noise-maker type things (tin pie plate tied to stakes, etc.) Battery operated motion-detecting lights?

Good luck!

Even a crow is so clever that rowcover would be only a slight annoyance, and raccoons are smart, too...
Your ideas, though, marica, reminded me that there is a motion activated sprinkler you can get that will only go off when it senses motion, pretty annoying to get sprayed with a jet of water when you're trying to snack!

I am.

Same thing happened to my corn...planted a second time and they're all gone. Holes with broken seed showed up once in a while. I'm saying black birds...crows and sea gulls. Only thing I can't figure out is how can they eat every single corn.

A friend told me you have to bury every seed of corn so the birds don't know that they're there. Pick up every seed that falls by the way.

I'm sorry this happened to you too dream garden .... it's too late for me to replant ... but next year I'll make sure I do as my friend said.

If this is going on at night then you can leave out most of the birds but first.. look at how much damage and how much the dirt was moved. Small animals like mice and molds will leave very small little pcs. of the seed as they eat them topside and bigger animals will dig a bigger hole to get to the food.

I have this problem every year early in the season and my solution is to start looking for signs like mole holes or a cracks on the ground, if one is found drop some mice poison inside and add more as they eat it. Make sure you cover the area (a 5 gal. bucket works well)if you have pets.

To make sure I have all my bases coved (in case of a mice or two found my garden)I also dip my seeds over night in the same vegetable spray I'll be using for bugs later in the season. I always keep some exterior mice poison thru the summer just in case.