something digging holes in my garden?

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So I came home mid - day today and found that something dug a hole in my newly planted garden bed. I just planted the seeds Thursday and nothing has germinated quite yet. Any idea of what made this hole and how I can keep it away? I have a small border/fence and sprinkled irish spring shaving around the beds when I planted the seeds. I'm in the tidewater area of Virginia.
 

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That looks just like what squirrels do here. Fried squirrel, bisquits and gravy are quite tasty.
 
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Ah- thanks Chuck!

Actually, my mom used to make squirrel teriyaki in the crock pot that was really good. I didn't like the little bones, though.

I don't really fancy buying a trap and having to kill them (I live in a town and work all day, so sitting outside all day with a shotgun, while fulfilling southern stereotypes, is not an option). I think I'll try sprinkling watered-down hot sauce over the dirt and around the perimeter.
 
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Ah- thanks Chuck!

Actually, my mom used to make squirrel teriyaki in the crock pot that was really good. I didn't like the little bones, though.

I don't really fancy buying a trap and having to kill them (I live in a town and work all day, so sitting outside all day with a shotgun, while fulfilling southern stereotypes, is not an option). I think I'll try sprinkling watered-down hot sauce over the dirt and around the perimeter.
Watered down hot sauce won't work I guarantee but fine ground cayenne pepper might. Also cat box litter (pee no poop) spread around some folks say works for them as a deterrent to Bushy Tailed Tree Rats. Squirrel Teriaki sounds good! Over rice? I have them pretty well thinned out but they just keep on coming no matter what and fried gets kind of boring.
 
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ok, i will break out the cayenne instead! Thanks!

And are you saying used cat box litter? My fiance has a cat, so I could get some, but . . . ew!
 
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ok, i will break out the cayenne instead! Thanks!

And are you saying used cat box litter? My fiance has a cat, so I could get some, but . . . ew!
Yep, used, but remove the uh ah big pieces unless you don't mind.......never mind. The supposed reason it works is because prey animals know what predator animals smell like and cats definitely like squirrels. Squirrels can and will be a major threat to your vegetables. Not so much for greens but anything that turns red. What that hole was is a squirrel digging for something like an acorn or a pecan or a tulip bulb etc that he either buried previously or smelled. They have a keen sense of smell. I used to propagate pecan trees from a pecan and the rascals would dig them up out of the pot. I had to cover the pots with chicken wire to keep them out.
 
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The squirrels may be looking for food that they buried in the Fall. In addition to using some sort of a deterrent get a corn log or other large food item and hang it in such a way that they can't drag it down and try and bury it. If they have a source of ready food available then they are less likely to want to mess around digging things up.
 
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awesome, thanks guys. I will put corn log on my list for the next trip to the hardware store, and pick up some litter the next time I'm at my fiance's.

The last time I had a great garden, it was on the balcony of my apartment (in containers). It didn't even occur to me that it was a great place because pests couldn't get up there. Now I know how great I had it!
 

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