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How to Identify and Get Rid of Raccoons in the Garden

Raccoons might be cute, but they’re no good for your garden: here are tips on how to remove them from your yard.

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Got raccoons raiding your garden like it’s their personal buffet? These masked troublemakers may be cute, but they’re clever, persistent, and incredibly destructive. If you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of raccoons, you’re not alone. From snacking on sweet corn to turning over trash cans, raccoons are notorious for causing backyard chaos. Here’s how to identify raccoons and get rid of them before they turn your garden into their playground.

What Are Raccoons?

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) have masks over their eyes because they could rob even a bank vault. These resourceful animals are second in persistence and imagination to no other animal (unless it’s a squirrel at a bird feeder).

Raccoons are great climbers, swimmers, jumpers, and runners. Their five-toed paws make them very dexterous, and their agility can allow them to outsmart every human concoction used to deter them. If they aren’t breaking into your garden, they might try to climb into your chimney to use it as a den.

Raccoons do not hibernate during the winter, but they will live in dens for periods of severe weather, causing them to lose a lot of their body fat in northern areas. They often live in hollow trees during the warm part of the year. Populations of raccoons often include many youngsters, and families will stay together for about a year.

What Do Raccoons Eat?

Raccoons are nocturnal and omnivorous, meaning they eat anything from grubs to crayfish, as well as all the plants and vegetables that you have in your garden. Especially in the fall, they develop a taste for fruits like apples, peaches, and pears, but they also enjoy a variety of vegetables, like sweet corn, potatoes, and peas.

Even though wild raccoons prefer areas with trees and a source of water, more and more of them are raiding gardens because gardens are an easy source of food. They’ll be even happier if you have a source of water and some forest near your garden.

Identification

How to Identify Raccoons

Raccoons are small mammals 2 to 3 feet in length and weighing about 10 to 30 pounds. Raccoons have distinct black “masks” on their faces, which often characterizes them as bandits. They have fluffy, ringed tails, and their bodies are varying shades of gray, with hints of light brown. The forepaws of raccoons resemble tiny human hands with five toes, which makes raccoons very dexterous.

Raccoons are nocturnal creatures, meaning that they feed at night. This might make it hard for you to identify them, as you might only see the damage they cause. Looking for raccoon tracks near the damage might also help you to identify them. Learn more about identifying animal tracks.

raccoon tracks in mud
After a rainy night, five-toed tracks might appear in the mud around your garden. These raccoon tracks are easily distinguished from most other four-toed mammals.
Photo Credit: M. Sorrentino, University of Vermont. 

Raccoon Damage

If your lawn has a lot of holes in it, or your mulch pile has a lot of holes, you probably have a nightly visitor. Raccoons will dig up lawns and mulch piles looking for insects to eat. They will also empty bird feeders, so keep an eye on your feeders to see if you have a raccoon problem. Additionally, raccoons are known to raid chicken coops, stealing eggs and even killing chickens.

Of course, if you have corn, there’s nothing more infuriating than finding stalks toppled and ears ripped open and half-eaten. (Even more frustrating is the idea, offered by animal researchers, that raccoons are wasteful because they don’t really like sweet corn all that much; in fact, they seem to prefer sunflower seeds, dog food, and sardines.)

Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Raccoons

The persistence and proliferation of raccoons have inspired many solutions; one of them is bound to work for you. Here are tips from all our readers and staff! See what works for you.

  • If your raccoon problem is persistent, you can set live raccoon traps in your garden and release the animal at least 3 miles away (check local and state laws first). Raccoons will eat virtually anything; try fish-flavored dry cat food, chicken necks, ears of corn, or whole peanuts for bait.
  • To keep raccoons at a distance, try scattering blood meal around corn plants. Also, try sprinkling wood ashes around your plants.
  • Grind up garlic, mix it with an equal portion of chili powder, and spread it around the garden. Frequent applications are needed.
  • One reader says, “Hang shoes and clothes that smell of human perspiration around your garden or corn patch.” Similarly, “You can try to repel raccoons by putting dog hair or human hair around the garden.”
  • Tune a radio to a rock station and set it in the middle of your garden and/or corn patch. Leave it on all night. The noise will scare away the raccoons.
  • Put lights in the garden. A bright lantern will sometimes keep Sun-shy raccoons away.
  • Plant enough corn for man and beast alike.
  • Add some pinwheels and streamers to your garden to scare the creatures.
  • Folk wisdom suggests that you spread newspapers around the perimeter of the garden.

raccoon climbing a fence

How to Prevent Raccoons

  • Build a good fence around your garden. Beware though, raccoons are agile and intelligent; make sure your fence will keep them out. You may need to install an electric fence. This is a good measure. A two-wire fence, with one wire 4 to 6 inches above the ground and the other at 12 inches, should be effective.
  • If your home is near your garden, remove any possible food sources from the area, including pet food and bird seed. Buy garbage cans with locking lids and keep garbage inside if possible. Keep pet doors sealed shut between dusk and dawn. Cap your chimneys. Seal any holes or gaps in attics and roofs.
  • Grow tall varieties of corn such as ‘Silver Queen’, ‘Kandy Korn’, and ‘Lancelot’. Taller plants bear their ears higher, causing raccoons trouble getting leverage to topple stalks and ravage them. They prefer shorter plants.
  • You can also plant squash around your corn or other plants to deter raccoons; they don’t like walking on the prickly squash vines.

Do you have any more tips for getting rid of a raccoon? Let us know below!

Garden Pests

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Johsl</span> Mon, 12/25/2017 - 03:47
Are the racoons eating the Cats or killing them only? Have you solved them killing them yet?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sun, 09/17/2017 - 14:07

No, raccoons are not classified as rare or endangered. That said, you'll see need to check with your local laws which may have other legal restrictions.

 <span>Micki</span> Thu, 08/24/2017 - 15:49
My poor little fish pond has been hit twice now. I really just wanted it for the sound of running water and a couple of water plants. But I started getting mosquito larvae so I got some feeder gold fish from the pet store and no more larvae. Well, I guess the racoon likes fish even tho they are very small. He has torn up my plants and the pond and has eaten all the fish, twice now. I really don't know what to do about this. Animal Control seems to not care even tho I live in town. I do have an outside cat and a small inside dog, after reading some of the other comments I am now worried for their safety. I have set a trap but have not caught it, I also have several wind chimes in the area, he seems to not be afraid of anything. If anyone has better suggestions, I am willing to try anything at this point.
<span>Ed S.</span> Wed, 10/10/2018 - 12:33
We had the same problem only we lost the expensive plants and pond filter. Bizarre, they would rip up the filter and plants. We called the pond our 'raccoon spa'. We ended up turning it into a pondless waterfall feature. That's another story. Raccoons like shallow water to wade in, etc. so if possible, make the pond deeper 1'+ and sharp drop edges into the pond; they're not into swimming if possible and if they can't walk directly in, they will likely look elsewhere.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 08/25/2017 - 10:15

For the disappearing fish problem, you may want to look into pond netting. It could prove to be just enough of an obstacle to deter the raccoon(s). Also try placing strong-scented substances in dishes around your pond, such as garlic and chili powder or Irish Spring soap. Make sure that any run-off produced by these substances doesn't enter your pond and that a curious dog doesn't sniff the wrong thing!

 <span>Enery</span> Fri, 09/14/2018 - 22:52
suggest a dish of cat food mixed with broken razor blades bits.
<span>Tom Henry</span> Mon, 07/15/2019 - 21:51
I can only shoot them with a high powered pellet gun. I shot one three times and it was back in a week. I have fed them boxes of rat poison and it wont kill them.. i will try cat food and ground glass and see if that works. I am at my wits end. They have eaten everything in my garden. Grapes, peaches tomatoes. I have put so much work into it only to have coons eat it all. I am beyond peeded off.
<span>Esmeralda</span> Tue, 02/05/2019 - 20:45
disagree on all levels...just cruel
<span>Jan</span> Sat, 08/19/2017 - 20:05
I've had to place a raccoon baffle around the pole on which multiple bird feeders are attached. This has worked. Prior to installing the raccoon baffle, they were constantly knocking the feeders off and carting them away. A good raccoon baffle can be purchased at Wild Birds Unllimited or some garden centers.
<span>Dolores Bennett</span> Thu, 06/29/2017 - 13:12
The raccoons this year, one in particular, has about wiped out all my ducks and chickens. I have never had this much trouble before. I moved all my birds to my side deck and covered them as one would do cage birds making my deck look like a refugee camp. Finally, I take the last pair into the house at night. A sure fire bait for trapping is raisins ... they love them and will follow a trail anywhere. Also, when setting live traps, make sure the only way they can get the bait is from the front. Keep the sids and back covered with non moveable items. Wood propted with a heavy rock will do the trick. The down side to all of this is the predator is a female she could have little ones stashed somewhere leaving them to starve if she is trapped. Talk about decisions.