Next time, put down some screening or something similar to keep them out of the are until the plants are up & growing.

Using pieces of screen does greatly reduce squirrel cratering here.

It's not too late to replant.

Try upturned black plastic plant trays like from a nursery. They work well even if cracked, so a nursery or store might give them to you.

You might need to secure the trays.

Pin with a wire coat hanger (cut off the hanging hook & another snip on the straight side to equal 2 long pins)

or

weigh them down with large rocks.

Would animal hair or scented soaps hung with panty hose be a deterrent to them?

You could also search on GWeb what others have tried.

I saw a gal buying a huge container of cayenne pepper at CashNCarry to keep squirrels out of her bulbs and she said it worked every year as long she put it out regularly.

Why don't you try feeding the squirrels sunflower seeds above ground? Get some critter mix and put it somewhere else so they leave your underground seeds alone. Then, if you have a mean streak, sic the dog on them, spray them with the hose, or shoot BBs at them. I cuss at them a lot, and even though it accomplishes little, it makes me feel better. Unless you're prepared to trap them and turn them loose in somebody else's neighborhood, you gotta live with them. I wouldn't encourage them, but maybe in the spring it's worth it to save the seeds and seedlings.

Raccoons are more of a problem for us. We had to stop feeding the dogs in the basement when 5 of them came in the dog door one night and wouldn't leave until my husband chased them out with a broom!

We live right by one of the walking trails. No matter what we do the squirrels keep coming. We do have a bird feeder in the back tree and they scrounge the seeds that fall on the ground.

Thanks so much for all your ideas, I didn't even think of screening them!