I was going to sit out back for the night and watch for the culprit. But you had to mention triffids. I do believe I will just sleep in my bed thank you.
twit, I will start placing things in the beds tomorrow morning. Today I found the beds in good repair, hope for the same finding in the morning.

Do your have palm trees in your area?

Actually we do. They are called Windmill Palms. However they do not walk. There are some in a yard down the road from us, they have not moved their location in the 10 years we have been here.

You sure that they don't sneak out at night hunting semps and heuff's, then return before dawn?

Well, last night/this morning I went outside at 1:00 AM and everything was fine. I went out at 2:00 AM and they were dug up. I have glue traps laying all over the place and they moved semps right next to them, but I didn't catch anything. I think I'm going to sit out there too - with a sledge hammer!!!!!

Raccoons? I have a sledge hammer you can borrow. Sounds like something looking for grubs/insects, since they aren't eating the plants.
twit, I find no palm tree tracks around our place.

Raccoons crossed my mind - or skunks. Just hope it isn't a skunk because that bed is right around the corner from our door and I'd sure hate to surprise a skunk!

Chris, I think I'd try to put down objects to get in the way of whatever is digging. Annoy them if nothing else and they might go elsewhere. I had a persistent local cat one time that didn't get the hint, so I put down pieces chicken wire laying on top of rocks. They won't normally cross that since it's hard on the feet for them. You might want to try something like that. Of course, if its raccoons, they might try to shift or move the wire, so make it heavy in some way.

In my veggie garden, I've had good low-tech luck with a bunch of small sticks about 12" long stuck into the ground about 8" apart. I used my fruit-tree prunings that I had put in the kindling bucket, along with some longer bamboo stakes mixed in. It discouraged the cats long enough for the plants to get established.

I've also laid chickenwire in perennial beds, planted thru it and covered it with a nice layer of mulch. The first time they step on it, they learn they don't want to be there after all.

What a great bunch of ideas all of you have presented. It makes me think I might be able to make frames to fit over the top of my raised beds that I could staple chicken wire over. That would also keep the Blue Jays and bunnies out, along with the cats, raccoons, possum and skunks.

Great ideas - I will try some tonight!! Thanks!

Well, I found out 2 things early this morning.

1. I caught the little devil in the act. Its a teenage toad. It pushes the semps out of the ground, over to the rocks, and buries itself under the loose semps so it can jump out in a hurry. I'd seen it in that garden before but it was just cruising around.

2. I think I have actually turned into that "crazy old lady" that my husband keeps calling me! At 3:00 this morning I put the toad in a bucket, packed it in my Jeep and went on a relocation mission! I went 2 miles down the road (out in the country) and let it go. Now I'm just hoping that they don't have real good homing instincts - maybe I should've moved it even further away!

And I'm also hoping there was only one toad doing all the damage.....

P.S. I had put up some hardware cloth cages around some of the semps last night too.

Oh that's too hilarious! Most people like having a toad in their garden, it's considered an honor!

The thought of your face when you saw it

Oh yeah - I was surprised he was the culprit. And here I had always been so nice to that toad. I even talk to it when I see it out and about. (See, I am crazy!)

I have lots of toads and I do like them. But my other option was to kill this one because it's been such a pain the butt and I really didn't want to do that. So off on vacation it went!

It will be interesting to see if they have the homing instinct of frogs...

OH NO!!!

I can just see him now with his little bandanna-wrapped bundle over his shoulder (do toads have shoulders?) trudging down the road trying desperately to get back home.....

Toad shoulders - now there's another interesting image! I just hope he meets a nice girl toad and decided to live somewhere else.

Chris, I think I had mentioned I had a similar problem somewhere here. I had a toad that would house himself in one of my semp pots for the night. He'd crawl up into the pot, then dig himself in, displacing the plants. I'd find the plants uprooted, and each night a different pot! Took some time to find out what was going on and discover the varmint.

Mr.Toad and I had a long talk, but he didn't seem to take my concerns seriously, maintaining that toad legs, while superior to frog legs for jumping, were not as good for "other" things. Not pursuing that point, I retaliated by putting him in a big, empty, nursery pot and handing him over the the NFH's (Neighbor's from, um..., Hades) 5 kids (all under 12!) who "played" with him for a day or two, then let him go. You should have seen the dust trail he left as he sped out of town, never to be seen again! He was so upset, he p'd all over everything in his haste to leave.

I don't know whether he left any signs for others of his ilk, but we have not seen any more toads in the garden since and that's fine by me. If yours comes back, try some tlc from local kids as a "dissuader". So you see, even the NHF's kids can useful for things other than noise...

We live in a neighborhood with no small children - all college age or older. Maybe when yours headed out of town he let others know on the way to beware of your neighborhood!