Critters Digging Up My Sunflower Seedlings

There is nothing worse than having some critter come into your sunflower garden and create havoc amidst your little sunflower seedlings. Bright and early the morning of March 22nd, I saw the first evidence of some digging critter in my sunflower garden. It attacked my first row of seedlings with a vengeance. Then, the very next morning of March 23rd, I found it had returned. The digging style was the same! I am guessing that this was a raccoon.

In my previous blog post, Sunflower Seedlings Emerging in Six Days, I shared more information and photos about the sunflower seedlings coming up and how this critter was doing its best to cull the crop, so to speak.

This is my second year of growing a sunflower garden from seed. In my first garden, I had plenty of experience with insects and critters in my sunflower garden. However, I had no experience with critters digging up the little seedlings.

The digging critter came back three more nights, but didn't look as "hungry" on those occasions.

DIFFERENT CRITTER DIGGING?

The morning of March 28th, a critter had been digging in each of the four rows in my sunflower garden. The digging appeared to be a little smaller in specific size, yet was more wide-ranging, affecting all the garden.

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

I am pretty sure that there were two different types of critters digging in my sunflower garden over the five days. On the last morning that I found digging, the critter had skipped the garden and found my two rectangular flower pots on the side of the house.

What do you think was digging up my sunflower seedlings? Do you agree that it was a raccoon and an opossum? Have you dealt with these pesky critters in your garden? What would you do?

By the fifth day, I knew I had to take some action to protect my garden. Next up, Protecting Sunflower Seedlings From Digging Critters.