Racoons!?

[Dave'sGirl]

We built a garden 45' x 30'. Put up a 5' split rail fence lined with 5' welded wie and 2' chicken wire buried a bit along the bottom of the fence. We really thought we were going to keep the critters out. We live in God's country and I know I have to share a bit with his creatures but not my veggie garden. I guess I never thought about the climbing critters and I think they are getting in. Nothing yet for him/them to get, except it raids my compost pile everytime I put something from the kitchen in there. Yesterday there were real signs that something barreled thru the potatoes and peppers. Knocked down a couple sunflowers too. They aren't in bloom yet.

How can I keep a racoon from getting my veggies??

[Russ]

You could live trap him and relocate him 5- 10 miles away.

[Frugal Nurse]

Poor little critters - hungry - forgaging for food like that. Their little babies are starving.
They don't know that your garden was neatly situated.

I equate that with moms and dad trying real hard to feed their families. It reminds me of the days when the Irish immigrated to America - starving. We scrounged for food. We scrounged for jobs and would take ANYTHING. Anything! No matter what the pay - just to feed the babes. We were given a bad name for that. Wait! Other immigrants suffer the same treatment.

k - back on topic. I found this site to be helpful. And quoting the highlights.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74116.html

Habitat Modification
Raccoons are attracted to gardens or homes because they offer a food resource and potential den sites. Efforts to reduce available food can include using metal garbage cans with secure lids. To prevent raccoons from tipping over garbage cans, place the cans in a rack or tie them to a secure post. Pet food left outdoors should be removed before nightfall. Pick up fallen fruits and nuts frequently. Never intentionally provide food for raccoons, and discourage your neighbors from this practice as well; it only attracts more raccoons.
If possible, remove woodpiles or other materials raccoons can den in or under. Thinning out overgrown shrubbery will reduce cover. To reduce access to the roof, tree branches that overhang rooftops should be cut back if possible, leaving a gap of at least 5 feet between the roof and the tree. Trellises and arbors attached to homes may facilitate access to the roof and consideration should be given to their removal. While habitat modification is often helpful, it is rarely a total solution.

Frightening
A variety of materials, gadgets, and devices designed to frighten raccoons and other wildlife are on the market. These include flashing lights, sound-producing devices, and water-squirting units, all of which can be activated by motion detectors. In addition, radios, scarecrows, and flags and windmills that spin or flutter in the wind have been used. Unfortunately, none of these are very effective and, at best, may frighten only for a few days, after which the raccoons seem to ignore them, having learned that they present no real threat

Repellents
There are a few commercial chemical repellents available to repel various forms of wildlife, but none have been effective for raccoons. Mothballs, blood meal, and a wide variety of other home remedies have been tried, also to no avail as raccoons are quick to adapt.

Other Control Methods
Dogs kept outdoors may alert you to the presence of raccoons and may frighten some away; however, some raccoons will attack dogs and cause serious injuries. Since they are usually active at night when they are most difficult to see, shooting is rarely the solution to nuisance raccoons, even in rural areas where shooting is legal.

I wonder if a netting over the garden is feasable? I don't know. I mean, I DO know about the 'birds and bees' but I don't know if you can't do that because of the birds and bees thing.

Anyone else?


Russ! 5-10 miles away!... that's it! I'm coming to kidnap you and drive you hundreds of miles away and you can't get back home to feed your family. Grrrrrrrrr

[pop goes the weasel]

We put moth balls around the outside of the garden. It keeps everything out. Just don't put it in the garden itself as they are toxic or for next year try planting marigolds around your garden. Critters don't like their smell. Course I plant an extra row of lettuce for the rabbits to eat lol