How can I avoid this

Fencing.

Dan

I have heard a number of folks say they swear by Repels-All some in Lowes. I plan on trying it myself for rabbirs and squirrels.

Ron
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...... or whistlepigs. They even named a gun barrel co. after them.

Al

There are pretty expensive sprays you could use and they would need to be reapplied after every rain or everytime you watered that garden and after a few times the spray would need to be changed since the critters it is supposed to repel would get used to the odor, refer to an article about animal repellents in a recent issue of Fine Gardening magazine.
The most effective, and least expensive way to protect your plants from animals is a good, tight fence around the the planting area.

Dan and Kimmsr...We have a tight fence around our garden already. My husband thought it was deer because we have seen lots of deer tracks in our yard. But, we have not seen any in the garden so we are stumped. There are also wild turkeys, rabbits and squirrels around our house. Whatever it is, it is leaving no tracks and only eating the green beans. It is flying in or jumping in. If it was rabbits, I would think they would eat the lettuce first. Lettuce and purple hull peas are planted by the green beans.

Ron...I'm allergic to eggs and so cannot use "Repels-All on my plants.

chrmann,
Then you may want to try Blood Meal which seems to work with rabbits and sometimes squirrels. A fence is not always the answer either. It is useless against squirrels, and I have seem rabbits and groundhogs go right under or through them.
I don't know if it's practical for you, but a strand of electric fence 4-6 inches off the ground works every time. Just remember not to trip over it and turn it off before you go into the garden. Once a critter gets zapped once, they steer clear all the time.

Ron
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petzold6596,
That is interesting! I have plenty of crows and like critters here on Long Island, and the only thing they ever seem to bother is corn sprouts. Usually they just pull up the sprouts by the roots, rather than nibbling off the tops. I have never seen a bird do that before!
Homemade hot pepper spray seems to discourage them, and once the seedlings are a few inches tall, they lose interest anyway. I wonder if that is a regional thing since you are in NM??

Ron
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interactive message boards - ALL FREE!

Rabbits can enter through tiny holes. You can try blood meal and repellent and all that, but as stated above, you have to keep on it. One miss and your plants are snacks.

Dan

Petzold6596...I have the burgundy beans planted, That is what I planted last year also.

I read online that squash planted next to beans or corn would deter animals because of the sticky plants. The critters don't like to get a taste of stickers (or whatever they are called). I don't blame them because it itches me when I pick or tend to the plants (same with okra). I break out! I looked today and nobody has any squash plants. And, I can't find any seeds either. I do have a big squash patch planted in another one of my gardens. So, if I plant squash, it would be for the pests. I plant radishes by my squash to deter bugs on those plants. I'm a believer in using natural controls.

A fence around the perimeter of the garden, especially if not high enough (like 8 to 10 feet) or tight enough (mesh less that 1 inch square) will still allow deer and rabbits in, although if the soil is soft and there are no tracks of either deer or rabbits your culprit may be an insect rather than an animal. Slugs, Mexican Bean Beetles?

Blood and bone meal make my setter go crazy and he digs up anything treated with it, even 12" under a new tree.

Try the garden commander! It’s a cage developed by a
farmer that keeps deer and wild animals out of your garden. It’s not
expensive, stacks and stores easily. It expands for large traditional
garden rows, and fits a raised garden bed. Best of all, it’s not
expensive. Here’s a link to his website if you are interested: www.gardencommander.com

You may have cutworms??? Dig around in the top couple of inches of soil and look for white/ grayish worms...they usually curl in a half circle...they will absolutely mow down beans.