Just that! Don’t want to cover them unless absolutely necessary. Where do slugs live – Slugs thrive in a high moisture environment. Last year something ate many of my beets. I could find no trace of any pests and am at loss as to what is doing the damage. I lost half my row to these pests. The same is happening to the peas. Slugs and snails were first on the list but frequent night searches failed to find them. Sowing. Before you tear your hair out trying to defend your plants against slug damage, check that it’s not birds nibbling your veggies. Slugs will also eat vegetables and fruits, causing unsightly damage to crops. Beetroot is an easy and rewarding crop that can be harvested fresh for 9 months of the year, and stores well. Despite its name, the seedcorn maggot is a pest of several vegetables, including beets. Seedlings had emerged, and are still there, but all of them have had the seed leaves munched back to nothing, which I imagine will set them back a bit. Something Eating My Beets. All summer I have been puzzling over what's eating my beetroot tops. This means that particularly tender-leaved plants or seedlings are very vulnerable to slug damage. Fortunately, there’s a few ways and some are pet-safe, while others aren’t as friendly. I tried Swiss chard seeds, beetroot seeds and pea seeds. Seedcorn Maggot. ... chives, chard, celery, beetroot, radish, spinach, peas, potatoes, garlic, cucumbers, chicory, lettuce, sugarloaf, and tomatoes. Should I assume this is due to slugs and snails even though there is no slime trail or could there be another reason? What plants do slugs eat? The beets looked beautiful until you pulled one and half of the beet was gone. The Most Effective Methods to Stop Slugs from Eating Plants They can cause damage throughout the year on a wide range of plants, but seedlings and new growth on herbaceous plants in spring are most at risk. Who’s eating your veg plants…. Do birds attack seedlings? Slugs are widespread animals which can cause problems in the garden, eating holes in leaves, stems, flowers, tubers and bulbs. Slugs eat all sorts of plants. Seems odd if it’s slugs - they would surely eat the lot? Beetroot seeds are actually seed clusters, and this means that thinning is always required. All of these veggies make excellent slug deterrents and this variety should be enough to keep food on your table! Lettuces, brassicas (kale, broccoli, cabbages etc), chard, beetroot leaves and spinach are all popular with slugs, and snails, and birds! Thanks for any input. Q. Slugs are most active during the night so unless you’re happy to prowl around your garden after dark very late into the night, chances are you’ll want an easier solution to get rid of slugs. « on: August 07, 2013, 13:26 » Pulled some beetroot today and had to throw away over half as they had huge gouges out of them that looked slug/caterpillar type damage. A mystery is solved! The Swiss chard and beetroot never got past seedling stage as something seemed to be nibbling on the leaves but there were no slime trails. Do slugs eat beetroot? Beetroot prefers no competition, but puts down a tap root which is likely to disturb its neighbours when pulled out of the earth. Do slugs eat beets? Slugs will eat any kind of vegetation but prefer tender leaves.