Hi Patricia, thanks for the question.

If you plant, they will come!  Best guess is that you have some squirrel friends (or enemies in this case).  Birds will also pull up plants.  Squirrels (and chipmunks) get curious with the new smells.  Moles and voles can upset plants from underneath.  Rabbits will nibble on plants and bunnies nibble on plants with a clean angular cut and sometimes just leave the plant laying on the ground.  Then there is deer, they bite and pull, either leaving a ragged cut and/or pulling the plant up.  What to do?  Try to identify the pest.  Physical barriers like caging the plants or a fence are best; but not always practical. Repellants can work but pests can get use to them (be sure to read and follow label).  For larger animals a motion activated sprinkler can work.  Check out the following links:

How do I prevent rabbits from damaging plants in the vegetable garden? | Yard and Garden (iastate.edu)

Home Lawn & Garden: Wildlife: Excluding and Repelling Problem Wildlife from the Garden | Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment at UMass Amherst

I hope this helps.

Hi again,

Glad you were able to get an ID.  Raccoons in gardens can cause a lot of damage.  Besides looking for food (like grubs) their curiosity and intelligence can make for a challenging adversary.  Check out this link from California:

pnraccoons.pdf (ucanr.edu)