Help! Something's nesting in my garden!

I have a small vegetable garden along the side of my house. Yesterday morning, I noticed that someone/thing had pushed back the mulch and weed barrier next to one of my cucumber plants. Yesterday evening, I looked again and the mulch was back in place. There was also a small pile of grass clippings. This morning, I moved the grass with a stick, looking for clues as to what was nesting in my garden. I didn't find anything to indicate what was in the nest (no eggs, babies, snakes, etc). There was a hole there that was about 4-5 inches deep and about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. It was filled with tightly packed grass. There was no sign of the displaced dirt from the hole.

Anyone out there have any insight into what's in my garden? I don't want to lose my veggies!

Thanks!

 

Might be a chipmunk. I have one that dug a hole in my flower beds too.

 

or baby bunnies.......

 

We had the same thing in the mulch around one of our trees. Once we disturbed the nest it/they didn't come back.

Our nest actually looked like it belonged to some sorft of ground owl.

 

Wabbits!

 

It could be a vole. My mom has had a heck of time with them in her gardens.

 

Thanks for the ideas! I don't think it's a vole hole...my neighbor had a problem with them and their holes are only about 1" in diameter, they don't cover the holes with anything, and they go deep enough that you can't see the bottom.

As for those waskally wabbits, we have a bunny barrier fence up around the garden that worked well last year. We did find a bunny nest in our hollies earlier in the spring, though...

Don't think it's a snake either; the hole wasn't there before and they can't dig their own.

Any other thoughts?

 

No, but tell me about this bunny barrier... they are destroying my perennials. Even the ones they supposedly don't eat, like coreopsis, bee balm, rudbekia... the list goes on.

 

They devoured all my rudbeckia too. Mowed it right down to the ground. For the past 3 years they've stayed away from (knock wood!) the bee balm and echinacea. They don't seem to bother the day lilies and hostas either.

 

the wabbits love my day lilies unfortunately....

 

Saras Mom, you're lucky. My echinacea went just as the rudbeckia (and pink and white coneflowers) -- mowed to the ground. Little buggers are even eating my neighbor's basil!

 

The bunnies never touch my daylillies or the hostas, but chipmunks and squirrels will dig down to the root of daylillies and feed on the roots. I've seen it.

But it sounds like chipmunks to me. My yard is full of their tunnels.

 

Bunny Barrier is the actual product name. Found it at Home Depot for a reasonable price. It's like chicken wire, only the spaces between the wires get bigger towards the top. It's 2 1/2' - 3' tall. Works well around gardens, but it's not at all decorative, so I wouldn't put it around a planting bed. As a result, the bunnies have gotten my tulips, rose bush, and day lilies. So far they're leaving my irises and gladioli alone, though.

I've heard they don't like hair clippings or coffee grounds, but haven't tried either. Anyone tried these?

 

I tried garlic powder and it worked, but I realized I was spending more on garlic powder than I did on the plants they were eating, so I gave up. Live and let eat.

 

Rabbits. I could send my dog over to eat them, if you like.