Voles could be the culprit.

Gopher! I've had the same thing happen numerous times. So disappointing for you. When you replant you will need to line each new hole with small-diameter chicken wire and bring it up a couple of inches above the ground; fill-in the hole some, put in your plant and finish refilling the hole. That will keep gopher, or anyone else, out.

If you have a smallish area where your herbs/veggies are, you can dig out and then line the whole thing with smallest chickenwire, backfill, etc. I finally did this to my Iris bed.

Your just lucky its just herbs. Imagine losing all your squash, peppers, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and even some fruit tree limbs. I had no choice but to declare war and used lethal traps capable of snapping a mans arm in two. I used to have a photo of one of the largest culprits, but someone complained. The rodent demize simply put an end to my garden losses, but took two years and lots of $$ to get to a point where all my hard work was just feeding a big fat rodent. Voles ate up every last one of my 200+ tulips, and also my 300+ crocus bulbs a few years back and I will never plant any more again. For a few people a garden is a prize, but for some its an uphill battle and either you lose or the varmints win.

A cat would be quite helpful and possibly curative.

Another possibility would be the "mole plant", or some other poisonous plant such as Monkshood or a few Hellebores strategically placed here and there. I usually don't like to mix poisonous plants in with edibles, but I suspect it would help. I have found rabbits aren't as destructive of my plantings since I've begun to add those.

There are also poisonous herbs. Rue has some toxcicity, and provides a very lacy effect. Tansy is used as an insect repellant, and would not be eaten (it can get six feet tall--get the curly variety, which is a bit more moderate in growth).

Daffodils are also poisonous.

The best way would be to introduce toxic plants first, to help your varmit develop a distaste for your patch.

A "catch crop" of delicious, expendable plants in another area might also help.

If you cleared a natural or sodded area for your garden, you may have located it on top of your varmit's home, and it is retaliating. I wouldn't totally rule out a chipmunk; they are very territorial and spunky. Their holes are usually a bit larger, but the behavior just sounds very chipmunky to me. Moles usually just stay undergrownd and go after insects and roots. I'm not as familiar with voles, but I think they are similar to moles, sort of unimaginative. Chipmunks have all sorts of potential.

One thing chipmunks like to do is sit on a taller spot in the garden where their vision is unobstructed by anything. They will actually try to clear plants away from such a spot, I believe. They can climb sunflowers and cut down the flower as well. Very ambitious little devils.

In any case, it's still early in the year, and many natural foods may not be out just yet. You have provided a tasty springtime snack. Later in the year, your plants might have been a bit safer.

It does sound like the critter has a rather well-developed palate. Maybe they are experiencing their version of the flu, and found your herbs just the thing.

We have three cats and don't have gophers. Occasionally, my DH puts some used litter all around the perimeter of the vegetable bed.

There are bobcat and other preditor urines you an buy. I have used a few for a short term, but they need reapplication after rains. Lethal traps are about the most positive approach. You can also try a Hav-A-Hart trap which requires constant monitoring, and some sly means to keep bait inside so the raccons can't reach in to the cage from the sides. Imagine how difficult it is to grow nice big juicy cantaloupe if you have a bunch or hungry possums. I trapped a whole family which were reunited a distance away. They are quite dumb and some were trapped while the cage was empty of bait and placed right in the middle of my cantaloupe patch! Possums love smelly things like themselves. After that, my proactve appraoce was to set up a motion sensing 'contraption'. It includes motion sensing, floodlights, and a very loud untrasound producer that creates a wide range of sounds that usually scare away most night creatures. Once they set it off at night, it sounds for about 5 minutes. If animals start to get used to it, I use a water sprinkler motion sensor too.

KS, your neighbors must not be too close by...

;o)

I have heard some even resort to having their DH's walk around the garden, leaving "traces" to mark territory.

25 feet away on both sides of me. One has a small dog, the other has 3 indoor cats and two dogs. None are allowed to run free and are kept inside fences at all times. Being indoor cats, they never go outside ever. If I were to trap an animal in a live trap and it was domestic, it would probably get returned to the neighbors. Lethal traps are used and have only been set out when I have severe damages. Right now, its chipmunks and they tend to overpopulate the area due to my dad feeding hundreds of them all year round for many years. After I took over the house, many rat traps were put out and I got well over 200 chipmunks in one summer. Cute maybe, but when an expensive above ground pool was undermined by underground chipmunk nests, what can I do but to declare war on the rodents. That also means squirrels too, as they tend to dig up my onions, garlic and many other things, as well as plant acornd that I am constantly pulling up newly sprouted trees. Two houses down, they own pet rabbits and they have run free too. They tend to go over my garden as well and so they too could get trapped. Its only when I can't get the live traps set to get the damage causing varmints will I resort to lethal methods. I am also concerned about wild birds and feed them all winter, costing me well over $250 per year for seeds. When I put out my covered gas grill, its inside has many remnents of rodent feedings. I place rat traps baited with peanut butter as well as grapes to trap the critters. I even had mice build a nest on my car battery. My dad had a huge screen house that was stored in the shed, along with the outdoor patio urnature. Rodents chewed into the seat cushions, and chewed holes through the folded screen house. Both items were totaly destroyed and cost over $500 when originallt bought. IO don;t put out any furniture or any screenhouse anymore either. My biggest live trap is one that can trap a medium sized dog, but none have ever been inside it.

Overfeeding of wildlife is definitely a problem. It leads to overpopulations, leaving others to handle the problem.

I have a neighbor who feeds birds copiously all year long. My cat caught one, in my garden, and it was covered in lice. Bird overpopulation. I started planting more tansy after I saw birds plucking and flying away with bits of it, apparently to sanitize their nests.

Now, the bird lovers in my area have facilitated the passage of a "cat control" law which essentially makes it illegal to let cats out.

The excess birds and rodents are running rampant, and feral cats are moving in.

:o/

No one will "adopt" the feral cats, because there is no way to turn them into indoor cats. Therefore, unvaccinated cats are roaming the neighborhood.

I am waiting for the first case of a rabid cat biting someone. I just hope it happens to the bird lover that called the police on my (belled) cat before I knew about the new cat control law.

I suppose I should be ashamed of myself.

:o(

My bird feeders are only outside during the winter months only. The birds are not coming around right now, as they know to go elsewhere for food. I do have a small bird bath out there however, as well as two wild turkeys that seem to like to pay a visit in late afternoon. When I see them, I put down a few seeds and they come running.
Red cardinals and gold finches right now, are in breeding colors and are the main reason I put seeds out in winter. Usually only on feeders above the ground. A lady at the local Hme Depot was looking for cheap bird seeds to feed her cat. Obviously, she intends to lure the birds down, so her cat can have fun catching and killng birds. Once feeders are removed for the warmer months the local birds do go after all the insects. I even have a bat house for the local bats that love mosquitoes and other night flyers. In the late summer, sparrows just love to fly into the brussles sprouts and broccoli as they do eat those juicy green caterpillers.

We feed birds in the winter, too, especially during particularly harsh weather, and I try to get something out to them when migrants appear to be passing through.

We also have several little bird houses here and there for them.

What is a garden, without birds, after all?

The challenge is setting things up in such a way that cats and squirrels don't have an easy mark.

I am also starting to believe that bees and birds need herbs as much as we do.

Having an outdoor cat can help control the rodent population and can discourage rabbits and other garden pests. I do not suggest people have indoor/outdoor cats. Too many birds pay the price but sometimes outdoor cats can happen.

I live in an old farmhouse that has matching barns. Because of that, I have the same problem as my mom and my grandmother before her - I am never at a loss for an outdoor cat. People "drop" cats with the stupid assumption that all cats know and can catch mice - especially if there are barns or farms.

My first outdoor cat was a supreme rodent hunter - but only after nearly starving to death. I didn't realize she was not someone else's at first. "Mew" taught herself to hunt but would have died if I had not started feeding her. Unfortunately and odd for a cat that never left the property or crossed the road, she was hit and killed - in my own driveway by a delivery vehicle. Mew was sweet and very useful in keeping rodent levels controlled.

I now have another cat. He is a true feral animal. In 7-8 months of feeding him, I've got no closer than 10' and have only got him to not bolt twice when he sees me. I do not know if he hunts, but I suspect so since "Pan" lives up to his name as a truly wild thing.

FataMorgana

The biggest favorite for many birds is suet. I make my own and add hullsess seeds and peanut hearts. Woodpeckers go crazy of these and I make maybe 50 trays each year that are store in my freezer. Next biggest favorite is black oil sunflower seeds, then thistle. Cardinls ae partal to saflower seeds. Indigo buntings (beautiful!) have visited here as well as Baltimore Orioles. I even see a few humming birds.

Thank you for your responses. Since my original post we've lost 2 more tomato plants, my daughter's Morning Glory seedling and our pumpkin seedlings too. It is happening in two seperate areas of the yard. And yes...my DH "marked" the territory. lol.. Guess it didn't work. We have been letting our cat sit out in his cage near the area and we'll try the used cat litter next. Otherwise I'll just sit back and cry. lol... Again, thank you everyone for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Karen: As I said earlier, ground baskets do work.

Having said that: in desperation to ever get a tomato, pepper, or any other vegetable I bought two metal stock tanks -- 8x2x3 -- and filled them with soil. I now grow my veggies inside a barrier that even a gopher can't get thru'. (There are a number of different sizes and shapes of stock tanks, and the price is surprisingly equal to the cost of building a raised bed.)

Too early to plant pumpkin seeds outside. Start planting in MA in Z6 by the end of May. Last night, localy, within 40 miles, we had frosts. Not much survives the frosts. I don't put any plants or seeds out until the end of the month, and even for that, they stay in my small greenhouse for about 7-10 days to get used to outdoors first.

It helps to do some research of what varmits live in your area. Most of the US does not have gophers, some have chipmunks, most do have voles and various mice. There are other creatures that burrow and eat plants. Each area will have one or more of the pests. Knowing what you are trying to get rid of is half the battle. Talk to your neighbors for their suggestions as to animal and solution.

Planting in wire works for many of the pests but not all.

No gophers in MA, but many woodchucks which are MUCH larger. Voles like eating bulbs and tubors. Chipmunks borrow holes, but are usually nut or berry eaters. Mice, grey or brown like bird seeds, and nest in soft things like stuffed lawn furnature. Rabbits love chewing on any greens of any kind. Of course deer also can even eat whole peaches off the trees. Squirrels are usually nut eaters too, as they also like taking bird food, especially sunflower seeds. Around here, there are also a few red squrrels, lots less compared to the grays. Also a few black squirrels. I have one black with a bad eye, only sees me when itse facing in the right direction. When I planted my saffron crocus, I made a big 1/4 holed wire basket with 6 inch tall sides to prevent burrowing. Also added abrasive pellets that the diggers hate to dig through. This stuff surrounds the crocus bulb area. My ffruit trees also have 1/4 inch wire screening as a wrap around at soil level. It helps prevent girdling by rabbits, which can chew all the tender bark off trees very fast. I also have moles out there, but they seem to go after worms mostly.

We didn't plant the pumpkins, they always grow from last years halloween pumpkins that are tossed out back. =) And this is the first year that cycle has been broken. Every other year they grow beautifully.
The neighbor to the right of us has every lawn chimical under the sun and doesn't have problems with anything. We are more of the organic type and hate to use anything of the sort.
Still trying to figure it all out but it's still a mystery. Every last one of my herbs is gone. Completely gone. And now a purple flower (something I received for Mother's day) has been getting attacked. Each morning we'll find another stalk cut from the plant. Whatever is doing this just leaves them scattered about without any other damage done. And no, it's not our neighbor. lol..

rabbits

ground hogs, their brothers, cousins & aunts. Cats don't bother them, dogs can't catch them. They will go over or under a fence. They will dig out huge holes in your flower pots. They will eat every single leaf off your coles, beans & potatoes. They will pick your tomatoes and take ONE bite before discarding them.

So, pay them back: Eat them.

I feed birds all year. I love wildlife and it's my chance to see them upclose. They are part of my garden, along with all the other creatures. We've had a terrible time with moles, but when I found out they were eating the japanese beetle grubworms, I decided they are just part of my yard too! I've only had trouble with rabbits nibbling in garden, even though we have deer, fox, racoons, opossoms. I've found a mesh fence around biggest veggie garden and the local tomcat is my best protection. The tomcat I do feed, and give fresh water to, even though he likes to drink and hunt in the little stream across field. It all works together! I agree with maifleur, do some research about your area, talk with neighbors, or if all else fails, stay up one night and keep watch. I had trouble sleeping one night only to see a racoon helping himself to the leftover chinese food in our trashcan! Wish I'd had a camera for that one. Best of luck to you!

How long have your neighbors been using the chemicals? It is possible some of your varmits have moved over from their yard in desperation.

Also, if you live in or near a growing development, new housies going up may have displaced more critters, which are attracted to your organic garden.

If you have a groundhog/woodchuck, they will mark territory by taking bites out of things.

Later in the season, when there is more normal growth out, your things may be a bit safer. A bit of clover planted at the edge of your garden as a catch crop might also help.

I have two resident wild hen turkeys here. They like sunflower seeds and will dring from my ground level bird bath. One is so tame, I can get about 3 feet from her and toss out food. She comes running when she sees me putting out the seeds. First year they decided to stick around. I used to see at least 20 turkeys, all hens no tom. Woodchuks mark a locaton with their urine too. I have a bottle of it I used to trap the one that destroyed my whole garden a few years ago. They loved any garden plants, and even climbed my peach tree and chewed off some limbs. Now is gone for good I hope