I have tried two years in a row to have garden boxes in SF, and I’m now giving up. The rats are an absolute force. I have ~4 ft high boxes and they have easily emptied literal tons of soil from them with their tunneling. They love to burrow through the roots of every plant, killing all but the most resilient. There is also no stopping them. I won’t do poison, due to having a dog + environmental concerns, but even orthodox traps I can catch 3-4 a night, night after night, and they just never stop coming.
Could you have tried wicking beds? They might discourage the burrowing?
I'm also limited in poisoning because the neighbour has a dog. Rats live in our compost bin and are tough to keep out. Possums here in South Australia are protected so we can't trap them and they cause trouble as well. Lost all my garlic and chives this year to black aphids. Virtually no stone fruit lasted until picking last year. Too hot through summer or not enough bees for zucchinis to set fruit.
The things that did well are mostly herbs/chillis/etc that aren't exactly the bulk you live off!
Sometimes I wonder if the best home approach is growing herbs so you don't get stuck paying a premium at the shop, and maybe 1-2 other things for the experience and to share with family/friends.
Not sure if it is effective, but supposedly cat urine naturally deters rodents. If you could secure some used cat litter, sprinkle it around your garden perimeter.
