large (rat) mousetraps baited with peanut butter. After the first strike you will know the culprit. Tie the trap down with steel wire, because I have had squirrels walking away with their new necklace and dying somewhere, and I had to buy another one.

Unfortunately, I don't think traps will be very effective. Being in an urban environment, removed vermin are soon replaced, and I can't control what others do in their yards. I'm seeking a solution to keep them out of my veggie garden, and they can have the rest of the yard :)

What people don't seem to realize is that at least urban squirrels are quite territorial. Maybe rats are as well. That being the case, if you trap them, it'll be a while before new ones recolonize the area. I find if I trap and relocate a lot of squirrels in the spring, they're gone until at least late fall and maybe the next spring. Of course, you trap rats to kill. If you're in an urban environment, killing squirrels is probably illegal. Now, in my mind, squirrels are just tree rats, but what do I know?

you don't even know what they are after all. The trap will tell you that.

I think the point we agree on is that traps will be highly effective.

1" hex? Those sure aren't squirrels and probably not rats. You sure they aren't just wedging themselves underneath it? If not, then I'd have to be thinking mice.

Could also be voles.

Rodney

That's a good one. California voles practically own the Presidio, I've heard.

Gophers love raised beds, and there are plenty of those in the Bay area. Above-ground fencing wouldn't keep them out, they would just dig under, eat, and fill their holes in behind them when done. If there are gopher burrows in your yard (or your neighbor's), that might be the culprit. I gardened in both San Jose & Palo Alto in the 80's, gophers were a constant battle in both locations. Rats were present in my San Jose location until I took out the overgrown ivy they were living in, but they did less damage than the gophers.

yes to all. I also gardened in the Palo Alto area in the 1980s, and gophers did destroy two gardens before I gave up. I also have vast vole experience here in MI. If it is voles, I can usually find their tunnels in beds, running parallel to the bed sides, one or two inches under.

If it is squirrels for example, Kania traps are indicated. If it is gophers or voles, underground traps. Mice are effectively controlled by basic mousetraps. that is why it is important to catch one first.

Thanks everyone for your advice! I set out a simple bucket trap last night but all I did was give the raccoons some free peanut butter. I need better traps but I wanted to try my luck with what I had around.

In the spring I had to dig out all my beds and place wooden bottoms on them due to invading tree roots (it's been a fun year in the garden....) so I don't think it's gophers, I've never seen one or any evidence of them in the yard. Maybe voles, but once again, never seen them.

The main problem I have with trapping as a solution is I don't think it will be very effective. The yard next door is an unused overgrown mess. The yard on the other side is only slightly better, any they have ivy to give critters hiding places. Beyond this, our fig tree is still loaded with figs, so they also have a steady supply of food. Excellent for breeding :/

Thus my initial decision to just cage my veggies and just keep everything out. Seemed like the simplest solution to the problem! I was surprised (and bummed) someone was still getting in, but I'm going to agree with Dan and say it might be mice. I've never seen mice in the yard but I just can't figure out who else could slide their bodies in. There just isn't another way in except through the hex chicken wire.

I will get some more traps this weekend and see what I come up with. Even with knowing who the culprit is, I'm going to have to do something to keep them out. I can change the chicken wire for hardware cloth, but not sure if I should use 1/2" or 1/4" grid. Not looking forward to the extra expense or work...

I'm not sure what type of plant damage you're talking about getting eaten - seedlings or adult plants? Some out of the box possibilities if you're thinking it's not rodents:

This year I was overwhelmed with grasshoppers, which chewed through my row covers to devour anything they could get their mealy little mouths on (they were even eating the blossoms off my citrus trees, grrrr). They can definitely chew through bird netting, too, if motivated. I just have to be really careful that NO leaves are touching the row cover anywhere, or they will eat through it.

If my seedlings disappear, here I can be fairly certain it's slugs/snails. But that's only because I've completely gopher-proofed my entire gardening area, or that would be my guess. Anyway, snails/slugs are easily gotten rid of with something like Sluggo if you think that's a possibility.

Around here, gophers leave large mounds. Voles leave a hole about an inch across.

Some people pooh pooh me on this, but we have bought some of those things you stick in the ground (either battery or solar) that emit a chattering or beeping sound every 30 seconds or so. This has worked for us for the last several years.

A couple of years ago we planted squash/pumpkins on our septic mound (have since learned that that's not the best idea) The gophers thought it was a smorgasboard! We put 2 of the chatterers on the mound and didn't have another gopher the whole summer!

In our regular raised bed garden (lined with hardware cloth) we may get a gopher visit from time to time, then go away. Anytime the batteries go out they come-a-runnin!

Harbor Freight has the solar ones for about $10, but I think it's a seasonal thing with them. The battery ones are more expensive, but last longer. I think they were $24 at HD. I have found some at the flea mart for $3 each. Nancy

Find any culprits last night?

I'd put out some rat traps and sticky traps to see what it might be. Mice or bugs is my guess. I have bird-proof cages of the same chicken wire over my seedlings and they still get eaten by cutworms and such.

You state that the neighbors on each side have yards that are great breeding and hiding places for rats. When rats get near my property, I declare war on them. the only good rat is a dead rat. TomKat rat and mouse poison placed in baiting stations will help control the situation. Traps will kill one at a time. after you get the problem to a manageable level, you may want to use the chatters that nancy mentioned. I wouldn't work in or eat from a rat infested garden. TomKat websites has some funny videos of commercials they have ran.

nancyjane_gardener, man I wish those chatterers worked for us. I actually walked outside one day and one of them was missing, found it at the bottom of the gopher tunnel that had been dug right next to it. The only thing that finally did work for us was the gopher cinch traps (horrible, I know, but I was desperate I tell you!) and my new neighbor's two outdoor cats.

Humsi, that so funny! Between the chatterers and the barn cats, we're in pretty good shape.

Once upon a time we had some mice in our old dilapitated house. Put out traps and they all disappeared! The rats that came from my neighbor's barn were carrying them away! Ewwwww! Nancy

I too have had traps carried away. Except I knew it was a juvenile ground hog that was able to squeeze through the fence. I could not get him so I set a rat trap to discourage him. Put also some glue sheets around it. The trap disappeared, the glue sheets I found at the bottom of the fence. He never showed up again after that.

I've never known rats to eat plants - only fruits/seeds/nuts.

However, rats need only a hole the size of a quarter - anything their head can fit through...