Who's Stealing My Potatoes

[Farmette]

Ok, so every year I have potatoes chewed in the 10 inch high raised potato bed. Since I thought the culprits were voles, I reconstructed the bed so that it has metal screening on the bottom. The garden is fenced and I see no obvious holes any place in the garden. Now I'm finding a few potatoes that appear to be carefully dug up and transported to other raised beds. The potatoes have small bites out of them, almost tooth like bites. So, what takes little nibbles and yet is capable of adeptly carrying a potato to another raised bed 10 feet away? I would think that whatever it is, that it would eat the whole thing.

[PhilaGardener]

In PA, I'd be blaming chipmunks or squirrels, but also had a rat in the garden on year that did a lot of damage. Any of those around?

[Farmette]

Yes, I've seen a chipmunk, but I didn't think chipmunks would dig in the soil deep enough to pull out a potato.

[brownrexx]

I would definitely suspect voles but I seriously doubt that they could carry a potato. Possibly squirrels.

[Farmette]

I think the type and height of the fencing would make it difficult for squirrels to climb into the fenced garden.

[brownrexx]

Did your other raised beds grow potatoes previously? Maybe they were not carried there. I find that I have potatoes coming to the surface sometimes in areas where they grew the previous year.

[Farmette]

No, the beds that potatoes were found never have had potatoes planted in them.

[SQWIBB]

Mice?

[ramapojoe]

squirrels are legendary for getting over, under, around any kind of fence or man made anti squirrel device. Not saying it is a squirrel but I spent hundreds of dollars to keep them away from bird feeders and they always got the seeds.

[Farmette]

Well, I would think a squirrel would ear much more of the potato. Today I put a protective green mesh fence around the bed...well see if they eat through it, catapault into it or give up!