My very first batch of stuff started to get eaten this year. Based on last years experience(frustration), I set mouse traps and caught more than a dozen quickly, got empty traps for a few nights and have stopped setting them. Watch out for pincher bugs and see if the birds or rabbits are getting at your seedlings too.
Besides the traps I used some very cheap 1/2 inch netting stretched over strings which were tied between stakes. The edges are trapped to the ground by long light sticks weighted in the middle with a brick. It’s very easy to take off and put back. What I found last year is that once the rain started weeds growing in the surrounding areas, the pressure on the garden from desperate pests slacked off and it was easier to grow things in the open. There are lots of greens growing in the garden now without protection.Once you get it going the pests can’t keep up and will leave some for you!