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Damage on swiss chard mid-may 2021 #750629

Asked May 18, 2021, 12:17 PM EDT

There ae two types of damage on our swiss chard -- something is eating the outside of the leaves and something seems to have eaten a hole through the leaves. Picture attached. The damage is confined to one plant out of four (for now!). I suspected a rabbit or other animal, but curiously, the two types of lettuce (buttercunch and red romaine) that are planted within a foot of the chard are completely untouched. I would have thought a rabbit would eat lettuce too. The veggies are planted in a raised bed that is about 6" high, surrounded by railroad ties that are probably too easy to climb over. The bed is covered with landscaping fabric and has a soaker hose for irrigation.

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Expert Response

Such beautiful color on the swiss chard. 

It's hard to say for sure what caused the damage.  I think that a rabbit would have caused more damage and you probably would have noticed some droppings around the garden.  

It's very possible that it was an insect of some sort that caused this damage.  Inspect your plants closely for eggs/larvea. 

Floating row cover would be a great addition to your garden and can help exclude pesky flying insect pests and would deter deer and or rabbits as well. 

Additional information on growing Swiss Chard can be found here: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/swiss-chard

Good luck! 

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