The small holes are probably made by voles or chipmunks and they do eat plants.

You need to put a wire fence with small holes (like chicken fencing) around your veggie garden beds. (Some wildlife can chew through plastic fencing.) It needs to be at least 1 ft into the ground and pointed outward at the bottom (to prevent burrowing animals) and 3-4 ft above ground. Ground hogs and other wildlife can climb fences! So, if the 3-4 ft height does not work, you may need to make it higher. My fencing goes 7-8 ft high since I also have deer around; it's 3-4 ft metal fencing at ground level topped with plastic deer fencing to 7-8 ft. This is all supported by metal stakes with 8ft bamboo poles attached to them every 10-15 ft. A metal wire goes from pole top to pole top and the deer fencing is tied to this metal wire on top and metal fencing below.

In the meantime before I am able to install a new fence, what can I do to deter critters from entering my garden?  I am an organic gardener.

I doubt if there are chipmunks in the garden.  Have not seen a single chipmunk in the 28 years we have lived in our home.  Have not seen voles, moles or mice either.   Groundhog, raccoons, opossums, bats, squirrels, numerous bird species and deer have been seen.   Fortunately, we have not seen or encountered any skunks but their scent is frequently noted  

There were 2 photos of plants that I wanted identified.   Please identify the plants.   Not sure if they are weeds or unidentified desired plants  

1. purslane... some eat it as salad, other consider it a weed

3. is in the cucubit family, probably a cucumber

For now, just lay bird netting completely over the plants you want to save and secure to the ground with staples or rocks/bricks. The bird netting can be held up with plastic bottles,  pieces of wood or small stakes. If the plants are in rows, I'd put a metal stake in the ground at either end of the row, run a wire or heavy duty string between the 2 (or3 if a long row) stakes (just above the level of the highest plant in the row), drape bird netting over the wire/string and secure to the ground on either side and at the ends. It will look like a low tent made from fencing!

On Thursday, July 29, 2021, 4:43 PM, University of Maryland <<personal data hidden>> wrote: