In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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January 2, 2008

Rumaging raccoons rankle three readers

Q: Raccoons periodically ravage our small front lawn in midtown, searching, I believe, for grubs. I've put out grub killer for a year now, but it does not keep the raccoons from their small digging all over the lawn. Is there any safe way to discourage the fellows from their digging?
David Blicker, Sacramento
And from Shirley Smaage of Fair Oaks: What can be done to discourage raccoons from digging in my flowerbeds? I tried orange peels but that did nothing to keep them away. I've used Critter Control and they are expensive.
And E. Bale of Folsom asks: Just put in new turf lawn and something (racoons, a skunk?) are coming in almost nightly and ripping it up . They pull back the edges like a carpet or rug , apparently looking for worms or grubs. They make a real mess and are not allowing the turf to root itself. What can I do to get rid of these critters and save my new turf?

A: Raccoons are smart, quick to adapt to almost any situation, and are great problem-solvers. They can figure out how to get into garbage cans, gardens, and more. They also love pet food and pond fish. They'll climb stairs onto decks and porches to raid pet food bowls. I've even heard of them entering houses through cat and dog doors.

I've had raccoons rummage around in the mulch on my paths night after night after night. It's very discouraging to have the paths looking nice, and then the next morning they're all stirred up. It seemed to be somewhat seasonal. I had problems mostly during the summer.

The first thing I did was to quit watering in the evening. Those moist, soft paths were perfect for grubs and earthworms -- and marauding raccoons.
So I made sure I didn't water after noon.

Make sure the lawn and flowerbeds are free of fallen fruits or nuts since that is a potential food source. If the area isn't too large, put some sort of barrier over it or around it. Can you lay pieces of lightweight fencing (like chicken wire) over the area? Is it possible to fence the area? Sometimes, if they can’t get to the food source they get discouraged and leave.

The UC Cooperative Extension has a fact sheet about raccoons (Publication # 74116). It doesn't offer any definitive solutions except for finding a way to physically keep the raccoons out of the garden, or setting out traps. Further, it cautions homeowners that raccoons can be aggressive, and to call a professional to trap them.

You can call the Sacramento County Master Gardeners at (916) 875-6913.

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