I need mumsnet's best gardening detectives....

[northender]

My strawberry plants have done really well this year and produced a bumper crop some of which I thought may be ready today. But no, the strawberries have been taken from the plants and piled up (in 4 neat piles) at the back of the bed against the garage wall

Having eliminated the dc from my enquiries, my dd and I would like to find out what creature might have been responsible for this. Has our garden been invaded by an army of stawberry loving mice or squirrels?? Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm gutted as it was the only positive thing in my fruit and veg beds this year

Squirrels love strawberries and they're tte only thing I can think of that would pile them up!

Yep, mice or squirrels would stockpile; more likely to be squirrels though as mice would tend to hide them a little better I think.

Really? Squirrels love strawberries? I had no idea. It must have been pretty sneaky as we never see squirrels around but it does seem the most likely thing. I looked again with my mum today and there must be 100+ strawberries in the piles, unripe, mouldy and nothing left on the plants and . What a waste!

100! That does not sound like a squirrel!

No..that sounds like a HUMAN! Is there someone getting in? Have you fallen out with a neghbour at all?

I read my post back and wondered if maybe I was over egging things saying 100 but I bet it's not far off! The dc love strawbs and I'm sure wouldn't have done it. Can't think of any neighbours with a grudge, it really is bizarre!

I've just googled suirrels and strawberries and I reckon it must be that, there are loads of links. I linked to one site that said an entire bed could be destroyed in 15 minutes

This is an allotments thread started in May this year. I feel slightly relieved I'm not alone and others share my pain