Whats eating my pepper and tomato plants?

Question

I dont know alot about growing vegetables so i never bother, but this year we decided to try to grow a couple plants and see how it goes. We have one chile pepper and two "patio tomato's" which we were told are just smaller toamato plants that are good in containers. All three plants are in a large planter on my deck. The tomato plants are doing really good, both plants have ten or more tomato's on them. My pepper plant started out slow, but then started growing well. withing the past week, every time i check the plants (7-8 times a day) the leaves are laying on the ground next to it. Some of the leaves that are still on the plant now have "slices" in them? almost like the leaves have been ripped? Now my tomatoes that have been doing so well are starting to have the same "slices" in the leaves, but only the leaves near the top? its not just the top leaves on the pepper plant though. Any ideas? i have searched the plant for bugs, the only thing i found were a few spiders.

Answer 1

Sounds like deer damage to me.  And yes they can and did eat all my pepper plants one year.

Can deer get on your deck?  Sure sounds like it.  They rip the plants.  They bite and pull.