Stop Thief!

The corn a day after the first raid. Garden hoses sometimes deter pests like deer and crows.

A few days ago, I noticed that six stalks of corn had been ripped out and about seven cobs eaten. The silk, stalks and leaves were scattered nearby, so the culprit stayed to enjoy its meal. There were no footprints anywhere. At first, I suspected an aerial attack by crows. I heard a murder of them early that morning. I cleaned up the damaged plants and had to pull another half a dozen out that had been trampled.

The cobs would have been ready for harvesting next week. So close. Then, I laid pieces of garden hose on the ground. If crows were the culprits, they may mistake the hoses for snakes.  The garden hose pieces seem to deter deer and some claim they also deter crows.

The carnage from the first attack.

The next evening, I headed to the garden to some much needed watering and noticed that some of the stalks were swaying. There was no wind at all. Strange. I approached slowly and quietly with the hose in hand. Within five feet of the corn beds I saw the culprit – an adult raccoon munching away on a cob. It was enjoying that sweet corn and managed to trample countless others that haven’t matured yet.

At first, it just looked at me, but after I yelled at it, the ‘coon bolted. I found how it got into the fenced garden and tried to fix the security breach. I’ve been told that cayenne pepper is a deterrent for many pests, so I sprinkled about four cups of it on the stalks, cobs and ground around the corn beds. Cayenne pepper sprinkled on and around one of the composters last year eventually deterred a young bear from ripping the composter apart.

Would cayenne save the corn from a determined raccoon?

Nope. This morning the sight was shocking. Eleven stalks ripped out, 15 cobs eaten, 10 stalks damaged. One raccoon did all of this? Unbelievable. I cleaned up the mess; not a fun task given the intense humidity and swarms of mosquitoes. I knew that a garden raider was inevitable, but nonetheless, I was not impressed. Next week, all of that corn would have been ready for picking – by humans!  So close.

Raccoons love corn. I don't love raccoons.

After the second raid, about half of the corn are still standing.

I sprinkled the remaining corn stalks and cobs with baby powder, which some claim deters raccoons. A few hours later, it started to rain and a massive storm system is on the way. So much for testing the baby powder theory.

Some say coyote urine sprayed around the plants is a deterrent, although I don't know if or where that stuff can be bought. Maybe bone meal sprinkled at the base of the stalks? At this point, I'm going to try anything to stop the raccoon from returning. The squash will be ready for picking in a couple of weeks. I have a sinking feeling that this is the beginning of a battle.

Maybe the storm will keep the raccoon home tonight, I hope. In the meantime, hubby is working on a plan to improve the fence and we are bracing for the storm which could bring up to three inches of rain in a few hours. It might be an interesting evening.