Sharing a simple inexpensive critter deterrent I have used this year after last year having squirrel uproot several newly potted up plants. The gray squirrels are attracted to any newly disturbed soil, and I have had them go through a bunch of pots uprooting everything and just pulling up cuttings not even eating anything.  I assume from their view the only reason to dig is to bury a nut or dig one up and they are looking to what I had buried here. They will do the same thing to newly planted in ground.  I am using a 25 foot roll of 2 foot hardware cloth. I think the openings are probably ½ in square I unroll it and place it on edge where it is rigid enough to stand up on its own when curved into a small corral. I shape the 25 foot roll into about a 9 by 3.5 rectangle with round corners then I top it with a 10 foot section of 4 foot chicken wire overlapping the sides by a few inches just pin the top to the sides every couple feet with a small stick weaved in the top through the top hole in the side and through the top again. A clothes pin would work well I believe.  They rarely seem to bother my plants after established, so at that point I will roll both wires up and lay to the side. I had some larger 5 gal pots that  I put along the outside that helped support the sides, but I don’t think it was that important and a smaller corral would be even  more rigid and if you didn’t cut the wire but just continued around it would be even more sturdy.  My setup is in a shaded area, but I could have easily laid some shade cloth over the top if needed.  If 2 feet is too short you may have to add a few stakes to keep 3 or 4 foot width wire from folding over. Quick, Easy, Portable, Inexpensive, and Effective. I sure others have worked similar deterrent, and along with dispatching of every  tree rat  I can get a sight on I think this year the score is about 20 to 0. As in 20 squirrels laid to peaceful rest to 0 plants maimed.

 I grow bush beans in 5 gallon pots on the warm front drive. I used something almost identicle to deter the local ground squirrels/cottontails/birds from totally decimating the leaves. As you say, it's very easy to set up in a variety of shapes, and it works very well. I did use clothes pins to hold mine together, and they do work well. I've stretched bird netting over the top, but hardware or aviary wire works better. I've used pots full of soil (with no plants) on the outside to keep the form of 'the cage' the way I want it to be. The natural curve of the wire helps too.