weekend garden: sending out an S.O.S.

squirrel season 2012 already underway.

we're super lucky to have outdoor space- no doubt about it. i especially love the tiny kitchen garden filled with tasty edibles, but it's overshadowed by a full scale war with vindictive rodents. last year was especially bad- all of the tomatoes and peppers were ravaged by tiny paws. their mutilated remains brazenly displayed on the fence almost daily. after many unsuccessful battles i gave up, stopped taking care of the planters and tried to break all emotional attachments.

but the super warm weather this spring has caused quite a few plants to come back from the dead. carrots, thyme, chives, sage, mint, oregano, and marjoram are fighting for real estate and growing out of control.

now that the carrots have been harvested and consumed, there's an empty planter. squirrels have already made their statement by digging massive craters in the empty soil. they're challenging me to a fight.

the middle planter only needed some general maintenance and removal of the aforementioned tomato and pepper plants. new tenants were purchased at the farmer's market: more mint (totally unnecessary), cilantro, and basil. they moved into the back lot and have been undisturbed by the squirrels so far.

the third planter was a nightmare. a thick wilderness of branches and roots battling it out in every direction. it took hours of clipping, ripping, clawing, digging, and struggling to make some kind of order. the foot prints along the new path i've created, tell me that the squirrels appreciate the effort.

and now my impassioned plea: please please help me battle these squirrels. any tips would be much appreciated. a line in the soil has been drawn, and i don't want to be embarrassed again this year. i refuse to sacrifice any more veg until i feel confident it won't be murdered by these tiny feral savages. how can i keep them away from my produce? bonus points if it involves an elaborate rube goldberg machine: