Some animal has been digging at the ground around my pepper plants. The rest of my garden is fine, including my tomatoes. This is a regularly occurring problem, every two days or so.
What animal could be responsible for this? I've seen a skunk, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, birds, toads and a cat all roaming around my yard, so I'm not sure what I'm trying to defend against.
Are there any suggestions for keeping them protected?
I agree with stormy that it looks like a cat was digging there. Some cats love to dig, and return to the same spot to do it.
Our toads don't usually leave visible evidence of their burrows.
Rabbits might do that, too, but they might eat your pepper.
I don't think a bird would do that.
I'm not sure about squirrels, chipmunks or skunks.
If you dig in there and find some poop, it's probably a cat.
I've had cats pooping by our peppers in our old raised bed regularly. However, they often missed the holes they dug.
I take a 5gallon bucket, saw off the bottom and put the resulting cylinder over my plant babies. The flat flanges go dirt side and can be covered with a ring of dirt to keep the cylinder from blowing away. It also creates a little high moisture zone if you're germinating outside. The cylinder will make things mighty awkward for pesky critters with its slick sides and confined space. The plant will do fine for weeks and you can remove the plastic bucket cylinder when the foliage is big enough to be a natural deterrent. I've even used this with Agribon to keep flying pests away while the plant is less than a bucket high.
