Have you looked for/found things like acorns or cherry pits in the holes? I have in the past had very serious problems with small, potted plants being removed from their pots and replaced with cherry pits. I put the plants back in the pots, and the next day, the same thing happens. The pots are easy digging, and the squirrels are lazy.

An interesting thought, but no, I haven't seen anything like this. I first saw the hole-digging pretty early in the season, too, so isn't that the wrong time of year for hording?

Believe it or not, it would be my guess that it is squirrels too. The red flag for me, is that it is after you have disturbed the soil. I have had a couple of seasons of seeing them do this in my garden. Last year, I had potted up iris tubers that came in the mail and put them out in a shady area to establish before planting them out. They dug up the tubers and ran away with three of them and the last one they left behind, dug up and all chewed up.

They only seem to bother newly disturbed or planted pots and areas. I have no other critters in the garden and I've seen them do it. I think I asked about the problem in a post myself awhile back and someone else clued me in to the squirrels. I have seen them in my pots digging things up. Some years are worse than others. The explanation I was given is that they seem to know when something has been recently dug and they wonder if another squirrel may have hidden a treat. I would keep my eye on the squirrels from inside when they are out and about to see if you can catch them. They enjoyed taking bites out of the leaves on my Jade Plant when I put that out there.

A chipmunk is digging in my pots this year- it is after the maple tree seeds that fell in them.

These holes are right in the area where I was digging, and sometimes I'll find one of my transplants laying on the ground next to its previous planted location. These transplants are never eaten, just uprooted and left behind, as if as an afterthought.

These holes are not burrows -- they don't go any deeper than a few inches. When I fill them in, they don't return. If I don't disturb the soil, holes do not appear.

Perfect description of skunk activity. You just dug holes and transplanted seedlings. You made life easier for the skunk to find insects that they eat. Nice soft soil to move, not hard to get in the soil and because the soil is has been moved by you, it is more likely that the insects have been loosened and moved around.

The classic tip off to skunk activity is the slight movement of the plants out of the way, but never eaten or damaged. Skunks don't eat the plants or roots. Also the holes aren't very deep and are not tunnels.

You have skunks enjoying your gardens after you plant. They wills top soon as once the plants get established in their new homes, the plants aren't hat easy for the skunks to move and they won't bother them any more.

On the other hand, the chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs and voles will tunnel underground or eat the plants and cause real plant damage. None of them would move a plant to the side and just dig a very shallow hole.

Fran

Thanks for all the input, folks!

I'm currently leaning toward the skunk theory, due to the fact that if I disturb the garden soil just before dusk, I'll see the holes first thing in the morning. I should have been more clear about this in my initial message. It would seem that skunks are nocturnal, but squirrels aren't.

Another clue is that I've seen similar holes in the lawn (not brought on by disturbed soil), and apparently skunks go after grubs in lawns. I know we have grubs, because we found some when we initially dug and expanded the garden.

The "squirrels looking for something hidden by another squirrel" theory is an interesting one, though. I'll keep an eye out, but I haven't seen much squirrel activity in the yard. The last time we saw a squirrel, it was being run out of the yard by a mockingbird (no foolin'). We have no trees in the yard (we have a smallish yard in the city), so that might be part of the reason.

Definitely think if it were squirrels you would see them in the yard, a lot. We always have squirrels and plenty of trees around us. On the other hand, we rarely see or smell a skunk around. I've also seen the squirrels 'exploring' and biting the leaves on my jade plant, during the day. Glad you are figuring it out. It always helps to know what you are dealing with. Good luck!

I've had the same thing with skunks...

Another vote for the skunks - I recently planted a small fothergilla and later found it uprooted and put to the side, still intact, beside a hole. I often find holes in the morning, but no deliberate damage to plants.

Squirrels here eat buds and prune off twigs, or sometimes just jump up and down on a plant having fun. I made the mistake of planting a climbing hydrangea to climb up a big pitch pine. Unfortunately, the pitch pine is a major thoroughfare for squirrels, and the poor hydrangea is growing like a sock that keeps sliding down your leg; all scrunched up at the bottom of the tree.

Claire

I had a squash plant uprooted by a skunk the night before last. I replanted it and it looks ok, so hopefully no major damage was done. However, something also dug up one of two raised beds I have and destroyed most of my cucumber and parsley seedlings #@$%!. Don't know if that's a skunk or a raccoon because I have a small water garden on my deck and it's continually getting torn apart - water hyacinths torn up all over the deck, the dwarf papyrus knocked over, the pump hanging out the side, etc., and that I know is a raccoon.

I just ordered some "Critter Ridder" on recommendation from another gardener and hopefuly, once I put that around my critter problems will end!! I've worked too hard this year to have them dig everything up and ruin it!!

Lisa

Hi Linda I know this is a little late commenting on this post, but I just came across it. I have the same thing happen to me all the time. First off I'm saying skunks because this is always done overnight and squirrels aren't night critters I don't think. Plus we have skunks out here almost nightly. This year alone I've had many of my glads dug up and just pushed to the side,and two perennials I put in. I've just gotten used to going out first thing in the morning the first couple of days after I plant anything in the ground and see what's been dug up. I also end up putting large rocks around singular plants I plant and cover big area's of planting seeds or what not with a light leaf mulch..... My question is, could they be attacted to the fertilizer I'm putting down which is a mixture of 2 parts Pro Grow, 1 part green sand, and 1 part rock phosphate? Although just the other day we put in a shepard hook and dug up the area around the hook and the next a.m. there was 6 to 8 holes all over the area we had been digging. So maybe fresh dug up area's attact certain critters the skunks like to eat. The reason I ask about them eating the fertilizer is because I catch my cat and the neighbors cats eating the fertilizer I put down all the time. Doesn't seem like that would be good for them, but I can't be there to monitor what they do when I'm gone. Anyhow I guess the good thing is as long as they don't break the stems of the freshly put in plant it's not that bad. All I do is replant it. Now the woodchucks I have do much more damage, but that's another subject all it's own. Just wanted to let you know you aren't the only one dealing with this problem.