I've had that problem too, but the damage was not too devastating. Some critter came at night and dug my sweet peas I planted and I think ate them. I couldn't find them, so I germinated them inside to plant them. argh!

If the plants are dug up, but not eaten, it could be racoons, 'possums, or skunks looking for grubs, or squirrels looking for seeds and nuts(or burying them), or cats looking to relieve themselves.
I'd get a roll of short chicken wire and wrap some around your pots or make a little dome cover for the plants until they get large enough to withstand some marauding.

I'm in the city so I really don't think it could be anything else besides a skunk, racoon, or squirrel. We've seen a possum now and then, but haven't seen one for years. It could also be a cat. I'm thinking skunk or racoon. I've found little holes dug in the mulch all throughout the entire garden, my perennial borders and all, and I'm guessing that's a skunk looking for grubs, but the cukes were a huge area all dug up so maybe that's the racoon. I know the water garden damage is a racoon as well.

Hubby just bought a huge roll of wire - not sure what it's called, but he's making me tomato cages out of it. I think I'll have him stretch some over the top of the beds and tack it down. An animal would still be able to dig inside of each little opening, but I would think it would still discourage them.

Whatever I have is also dragging the water hyacinths out of the small water garden I have. As I said it's very frustrating. I put a lot of hard work into making my yard and gardens nice. I kill myself doing it actually!! To have something come along and destroy what you put your hard work in is beyond aggravating!

Lisa

Here's a trick I adopted several years ago, and it works very well for me. Surround the stems of your plants with bricks, leaving very little space for the critters to poke through. If there are too many plants to individually protect, then lay down boards, sticks, or what-have-you between the rows of plants, criss-crossing them if you must. The idea is to place obstacles in their way. As they find new spots to dig, expand your efforts. It's a nuisance, and it's work, but your garden will grow.

Lisa,

Assuming it is a skunk, raccoon or possum, you can live trap it. Trapping a skunk can be fun....or at least getting rid of a trapped skunk can be fun. However, raccoons and possums are easy to deal with. I would not relocate them because you'd just be giving someone else your problem. However, if you or your husband have no qualms about it, a simple shot to the head (of the animal!) takes care of the problem. Since you live in town, it might be best to contact the animal control officer if there is one. They might even loan you the trap and deal with the animal when it is caught. I trapped 15 raccoons and one possum last year in an effort to save my peaches. I was not successful at that, but I did get really good at trapping! I used dry cat food as the bait, and I bet that would work for you, too, because in town the animals are probably used to stealing pet food. As to trapped skunks....well, I trapped two this spring. They were trying to build a den under my front porch. Again, if you have an animal control officer, he will know how to deal with skunks, but if you do it yourself it isn't all that hard. Skunks aren't really very excitable. You can calmly walk up to the cage and cover it quickly with a tarp. Carefully wrap the tarp around the cage as you pick it up. Then take it somewhere that you can pull the tarp off with a stick or something and deal with the skunk from a reasonable distance. They usually don't spray when quickly dispatched.

I've never successfully trapped a squirrel. Look up Bon-bons in the Orchard forum for how to deal with the long-tailed tree rats.

I'll probably be roundly condemned for these suggestions, but I know how you feel about having all your hard work wasted. Protecting your plants from critters is possible, but having to fence everything you want to keep sure takes some of the fun out of it, doesn't it? I spend more on fence to protect my new fruit and nut trees from deer than I do on the trees themselves. However, at least I can eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the damage the deer do. There is no reasonable way to protect my orchard from raccoons, possums and squirrels, so I eliminate them. None is an endangered species, even on my property, though I am doing my best!

Chuck

If they're getting into your pond it's probably raccoons. They love the water. You can try trapping them, but at least around our place (with good access to wilder areas nearby) you just get new ones soon. Same with squirrels - they seem to expand to fill the space available. Trying physical methods of protection is probably your best bet - chicken wire or other cage-like things around your soil and your plants.

Don't forget chip monks and rats.
They both look for the seeds that are germinating. They like the seeds that have oil in the, like cucumbers, sunflowers, peanut, corn. The rats usually eat the stem to as youn sprout which hass the taste of the seed. But chip monks and squirrels would only eat the seeds.

I rule out the raccoons, because if they were looking for grub they would not bother with all the cucumbers.

So I think from the description it got to be chip minks or squirrels.
If the weather is dry, sprinkle lots of ground red peppers on and around your plant. That might give them a good snez(AAchoo!)and likely run away and never come back to that spot (unles there is more than one)

I blame Chip Munks. They are to blame for 99% of all animal gardening problems.... at least in my backyard. Stupid things are always digging up flower bulbs, moving my name tags, and eating my root veggies. I swear I'm about to buy a pellet gun and hunt them to extinction!!!!