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My garden (first ever!) has been doing great. Yesterday I harvested my potatoes, which left half the garden open and bare. Some critter seemed to view this now-open landscape as an invitation to come and dine.

Whatever it was, it ate all my strawberries and sampled many of my tomatoes. Left lots of tomato halves, both green and nearly ripe ones lying on the ground.

It's not a deer, because we had that problem earlier in the season, and I built a 6' fence which seems to be working. I'd recognize deer prints if I saw them. This creature left no prints that I could see.

Any idea what it could be, and what I could do to discourage its dining? I've seen a rabbit flee the area once or twice in the evening, but he seemed to be on the outside of the fence. If it's a rabbit, I could in theory secure the fence (it's a Polypropylene mesh) to the ground a little better. But if it's a squirrel, I imagine they'd be able to scale any kind of fence I put in.

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    It does sound more like a mammal - birds love fruit, but they seem to peck at tomatoes. Not knowing anything about where you are, rabbits and squirrels would indeed be the top candidates. Rabbit fences need to be buried but after myxomatosis (if you are in a myx. region) you don't have to bury them as deeply. Also consider other rodents: mice and rats, particularly.
    – winwaed
    Jul 24, 2011 at 15:41

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Indeed, it's squirrels- my wife just caught three of them in action. I guess they just discovered the garden.

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  • I've seen them eat our jack-o-lanterns last Halloween. My son wants to keep them inside this year so they don't get eaten.
    – MichaelF
    Oct 6, 2011 at 12:00

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