Raccoons are highly adaptable, opportunistic omnivores, recognized for their intelligence and diverse dietary habits. These masked mammals thrive across varied environments, from forests to urban areas, due to their ability to consume a wide array of food sources. Their natural curiosity and dexterous paws allow them to exploit numerous feeding opportunities, including those found in cultivated gardens.
Garden Vegetables They Prefer
Raccoons are particularly drawn to certain garden vegetables, favoring those that are sweet and easily accessible. Sweet corn is a top attraction, especially when it reaches its “milk stage” just before harvest; raccoons pull down stalks and peel back husks to reach the kernels. Melons, such as watermelons and cantaloupes, are desired, with raccoons capable of piercing their thick rinds to access the juicy interior, though prickly vines may sometimes deter them. Berries, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, are consumed whole.
Garden peas are easily snatched from their low-hanging pods. Potatoes, particularly ripe ones that are easy to dig up, also appeal to raccoons. They readily consume beans when the pods are ripe and ready for harvest. Squash, another common garden crop, can also be part of their diet. The appeal of these garden items often lies in their sugar content and the ease with which raccoons can obtain them.
Other Wild Plant Foods
Beyond cultivated garden produce, raccoons forage a variety of wild plant foods in their natural habitats. Wild fruits like apples, peaches, pears, mulberries, cherries, apricots, and plums are readily consumed, especially when ripe. Grapes and a range of wild berries also form a significant portion of their plant-based diet.
Nuts and seeds, including acorns, walnuts, beechnuts, and hickory nuts, are important food sources, particularly in autumn when raccoons build fat reserves for winter. Grains from agricultural fields, such as wheat, oats, and rice, are also part of their diet. When preferred foods are scarce, raccoons demonstrate their adaptability by consuming grasses and other general plant matter.
Beyond Plant-Based Diets
Raccoons are true omnivores, with their diet extending beyond plant matter to include various animal-based foods. Insects like grubs, worms, beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, and crickets are a regular part of their intake, providing protein. They also prey on small mammals such as mice, rats, voles, shrews, rabbits, and squirrels.
Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders, along with fish and shellfish such as crayfish and clams, are often caught in shallow water using their dexterous paws. Raccoons also consume birds and their eggs. They are opportunistic scavengers, consuming carrion like roadkill. In urban settings, raccoons frequently scavenge human food waste from garbage cans, pet food left outdoors, and contents from bird feeders.
Keeping Raccoons Out of Your Garden
Protecting a garden from raccoons involves several strategies focused on deterrence and exclusion. Installing sturdy fencing around the garden is an effective method; raccoons are agile climbers, so fences should be at least six feet tall. An outward-bowing section at the top or an electric wire at 6 and 12 inches from the ground can prevent climbing. Promptly harvesting ripe crops and removing any fallen fruits or vegetables reduces the garden’s appeal.
Securing outdoor food sources is important. This includes using garbage cans with locking lids, bringing pet food indoors at night, and removing bird feeders, as these attract raccoons to the garden’s vicinity. Various repellents can also be used, such as applying cayenne pepper, blood meal, or baby powder around plants. Motion-activated sprinklers or lights can also startle raccoons. Pruning tree limbs that overhang the garden can prevent raccoons from dropping into the area.