We have ground squirrels, cotton tails and jack rabbits and chipmunks (as well as birds), tons of them that eat everything, except daffodils. Other than the bunnies, they all can scale any fence one builds, or dig under (there's wire on the bottom too, which you can't see.) Growing a small jardin for two, well, there isn't a lot to share with nature's creatures. Thus, the fortress. But, it's a nice cozy place actually. I sit out there in the summer and watch the plants grow, unfettered by creatures. The first year we tried a garden here was a tangle of chicken wire, then netting, until we could not reach the fruits of our labors but the critters could. This solved the problem. And yes, we have to be careful when we plant, last year we hit a day when it was hot and windy and that was a disaster for some of the plants.

Oh, and no, we don't cover it later. We simply are selective in what we plant and make sure they enjoy lots of sunshine. T'is the winds that can do damage, but the earth boxes keep the roots well nourished and the plants usually recover.