The squirrels are what really go after my garden. Tree rats.
I lost most of my tomatoes for a couple of years until I figured out it was the squirrels....never had seen anything like it.
Tried shooting them with a .22 but that was futile- too many of them.
Finally got some live traps, baited them with peanuts...and in 3 days time I took out 7 of them. Relocated miles away.
I also realized that they are very territorial. The squirrels in my front yard do not come to the back yard; at least for now...the garden is squirrel free.
I grow lots of vegetables in containers like 5 gallon buckets. While the plants are small, I wrap them in chicken wire. Works every time.
I got tired of those rats eating my fruit crop, so I started trapping them. I drove the first couple of them 10 miles up into the hills. Then I realized what it was costing me to relocate them in a nice, friendly, environmentally sustainable manner. After that, I gave them a swim in my large utility tub. Got rid of 77 of them that way! As a bonus, it really quieted the neighborhood down.
Squirrels are tasty.
Maybe the best gravy ever.
Get a couple of cats. They’ll take care of ANY rat problem, bushy or baldtail. The ASPCA is overflowing with squirrel control officers.