A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Critters In The Cantaloupe

I am so upset, but at least the first 15 or more cantaloupe were very good, better then last year when a groundhog got them all right before they were ripe. Some critter has now discovered just how tasty they are...I suspect a turtle and searched all over my weedy garden for it to no avail Here are what the last two big melons looked like that were left:

Maybe you could put the partially eaten cantaloupes in a spot away from the garden--maybe that would help draw your nemesis away from the surviving cantaloupes?

All that is left are very small baseball sized green ones which I don't think will be bothered until get closer to ripening...I may just place a milk crate over them to keep the critters away from them. The chickens already feasted on the partially eaten melons...LOL I had found a turtle in there before eating tomatoes on lower branches and I removed it and took it across the road and placed it in a field. I am almost sure it is a turtle, I will put on my boots and search better again tomorrow, and if there is a turtle in there I am going to find it!!! I did walk the fence on the outside looking to see where it might have gotten in...and I discovered about 8 foot of fence that has a gap of about 3-4 inches between the bottom of the fence wire and the ground, apparently all the rain we have had has washed the dirt away there, so I will be filling that in with rocks also.