Suburban and urban gardens provide a readily available food source for various wildlife, making pest damage a common frustration for home growers. Among the frequent culprits responsible for this destruction is the raccoon, a highly adaptable and opportunistic mammal. Understanding the habits of these masked visitors is the first step toward protecting your harvest and determining if they are the cause of your missing tomatoes.
Raccoons and Tomato Consumption
Raccoons definitely eat tomatoes, though they may not be their preferred staple food. As omnivores, raccoons possess a highly varied diet and readily consume sweet, soft produce that is easy to access. A ripe tomato, full of sugar and moisture, becomes an attractive target, especially during dry periods when the fruit provides necessary hydration.
Raccoons are particularly attracted to the increased sugar content that develops as tomatoes fully ripen. They typically ignore the firmer, less palatable green fruit, focusing their efforts on the soft, mature tomatoes. They will also consume other garden produce like sweet corn, melons, and berries, viewing the garden as an easy-to-raid buffet.
Identifying Raccoon Damage
Distinguishing raccoon damage from that of other nocturnal pests requires observing specific patterns. Raccoons are messy eaters, often taking a few bites out of several tomatoes rather than consuming a single fruit entirely, leaving behind partially eaten fragments. They may also knock over or pull down entire tomato cages and stakes while foraging, indicating a larger, stronger animal has been present.
Look for the distinctive five-toed tracks that resemble miniature human hands pressed into soft soil. Unlike the damage caused by smaller rodents, raccoon activity often involves a greater degree of disturbance to the surrounding area. Raccoons will sometimes establish communal latrines, depositing their scat in a centralized location, which is a telltale sign of their regular presence.
Effective Garden Deterrents
Protecting tomatoes from raccoons involves using a combination of physical barriers and sensory deterrents. Raccoons are excellent climbers and diggers, meaning a standard picket fence offers little resistance. An electric fence, with two charged wires positioned low to the ground—one at four inches and a second at twelve inches—provides a strong, non-lethal psychological deterrent.
Physical Exclusion
Physical exclusion can be achieved with sturdy wire mesh or hardware cloth installed around the garden perimeter. This barrier must be buried at least six to twelve inches deep beneath the soil surface and bent outward in an “L” shape to prevent the animals from digging underneath.
Eliminating Attractants and Sensory Deterrents
To eliminate attractants, ensure all outdoor pet food is secured and trash cans have tightly locking lids, as these are primary food sources that draw raccoons into the immediate area. Motion-activated sprinklers that spray water when triggered can also startle and deter raccoons, encouraging them to find a quieter place to forage.