Humans are not the only beings attracted to these plants. Rabbits, deer, slugs, Japanese beetles, and European earwigs like them enough to eat all or part of them—especially in the night time. Try to block access to large critters and possibly the beetles, at least until the plants can achieve some size, with row cover secured at ground level. You might inhibit slugs with something “rough” they’d have to crawl over to get to the plants, like crushed egg shells or diatomaceous earth or other thick sand or gravel.
Humans are not the only beings attracted to these plants. Rabbits, deer, slugs, Japanese beetles, and European earwigs like them enough to eat all or part of them—especially in the night time. Try to block access to large critters and possibly the beetles, at least until the plants can achieve some size, with row cover secured at ground level. You might inhibit slugs with something “rough” they’d have to crawl over to get to the plants, like crushed egg shells or diatomaceous earth or other thick sand or gravel.