Balcony Garden Woes

So here is an update about my Balcony Garden.

Plant tally:

8 Tomatoes planted - 1 sprouted, two replants and a second sprout was added to the mix - total 2 tomatoes.
8 Peppers planted - Null. Zip, zero, not a single pepper made an appearance - even after3 replantings. :-(

Spinach - I had some very happy, small but flamboyant spinach plants - and last night something ATE all of them. I thought balconies were supposed to be safe from pests. To make matters worse - I also saw a little furry bottom and tail scuttle behind the cupboard on the balcony - how does a mouse get up to the 14th story - and why suddenly now in the spring? Do they just sprout out of the woodwork? Was it eating my spinach??

Rhubarb - also not recommended for growing from seed but yet all of my 6 seeds sprouted and prospered - UNTIL the mysterious something ate them. Now I have 2 very sad and be-nibbled rhubarbs trying to grow under a big plastic water bottle I placed over them for their protection.

Half a package of Celery which wasn't supposed to grow . . . . Everything grew. have transplanted 19 little shoots into plastic cups and sawed off soda bottles - but don't know what to do with them. Gave a whole egg crate littered with dense sprouts away and hope they will thrive and live to celery adulthood. Also have 3 store bought celery plants that are in water and are sprouting roots. Celery is not so hard to grow as it seems. The mysterious something obviously doesn't like celery because all 19 seedlings are intact and thriving.

Lettuce - last week I added lettuce to the mix and was thrilled to see some delicate greens poking through the surface - alas - the mysterious something got to them too last night.

Cilantro - so far nothing has sprouted - but until the mysterious something is caught that may be a good thing.