Onion sets popping out of ground

[Big-Al]

In the past I have heard about three theories on this, crows, voles, and crawlers. Although the last seems the strangest, I am thinking that is my problem. Every night there are 20 or so that are out of the ground. I can look at them at dusk and they are fine and then in the morning they are out of the ground. Lots of crawler holes around them but nothing that I saw right under where the set was. Sometimes they are laying right by the hole the set was in and sometimes they are a few inches away. I would think if voles are doing this they would damage them and they are not damaged. Thoughts?

[Big-Al]

Come On! Somebody has had to have this issue!

[KEN W]

Maybe no one has ever seen this happen.30 years of gardening.....never seen that.

[Steve Foss]

Maybe it's the wife or some neighborhood kids trying to get under your skin. Like Ken, I've never had that happen, and have never heard of it happening.

[CAMAN]

ALIENS!!!!!!!

Have you thought about setting up a video camera?

[Big-Al]

Well I think that I can eliminate the wife, as she planted them and has been faithfully replanting them. Neighborhood kids are also doubtful as there aren't any near by. I have not ruled out Aliens.

[Bear55]

Time for an all night stake out!

Any chance you have a game camera or know anyone who does? It would be fun to park it right next to your onions and see what shows up. Of course the aliens might steal it but that is a chance you have to take.

[Steve Foss]

Yep, trail cam!

[larryz]

We had the same problem with our Texas onions when first planted. My wife thought that birds were after the brown skin like membrane. We planted about

300 and each morning would find a few pulled up. This also happened last year.

Now a month later they have likely rooted and the brown skins are gone and it is no longer happening.

[Big-Al]

I knew that someone out there had to experience this also. I have had it happen before but not to this extent. Larryz, do you have crawlers? I don't have a trail cam but I may have to go borrow one.

[larryz]

We do have crawlers. Every time it rains they are all over the driveway but I guess that I haven't noticed any evidence of them in the garden. Although I can't say that I have really been looking for them.

[zent]

I have a friend that has had the same problem, he thinks it's the crawlers. He found one onion top pulled down into the crawler hole. He has been having this problem for a number of years and always blamed the birds. He has a lot of crawlers in his yard and garden and didn't really want to tell anyone he thinks it's the crawlers being afraid we would make fun of him. I told him we don't need a reason.

[Big-Al]

Well, after further investigation I do believe that my problem was crawlers. The problem is pretty much gone now as they are rooted in well now except a few I threw in lately. Not quite as exciting as Aliens or even the neighborhood kids or wife messing with me but interesting none the less.