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.