That backyard bounty might look like dinner to you, but plenty of wild animals are already planning to help themselves.
Your garden isn’t just thriving—it’s sending out invitations. The minute you start growing fresh produce, something out there starts paying attention. Ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, tender greens—it all lights up like a buffet sign for raccoons, squirrels, deer, and way too many others. You might not see them during the day, but make no mistake. They’re watching. And once that crop starts to ripen, they’re not going to ask permission.
1. Sweet corn practically broadcasts an open invite to raccoons.
It doesn’t take long for raccoons to sniff out corn. Once those husks start swelling, they move in fast, according to Marcus Mueller at Skedaddle Wildlife. These animals are clever, persistent, and weirdly good with their front paws. They’ll peel back the husks like they’re unwrapping candy. And they don’t just take a little—they’ll clear an entire patch overnight if left undisturbed. You’ll know it was them when you find half-eaten ears with the husks flung aside and a trail of trampled stalks leading right back to the fence line.
Stopping them isn’t as simple as fencing the area. Raccoons are climbers and problem solvers. You’ll need tall fencing with an overhang or electric netting that delivers a harmless jolt. Motion-activated sprinklers can help too, but once raccoons figure out it’s all bark and no bite, they’ll ignore it. Covering ears with mesh bags early on and harvesting as soon as the kernels plump can lower the risk. If you wait too long, they’ll always beat you to it.
2. Melons are magnets for coyotes and foxes with a sweet tooth.
It surprises a lot of gardeners, but coyotes and foxes love melons, as reported by the experts at UAEX. Watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydew—they’re all fair game once the fruit is ripe and splitting in the heat. These wild canines will bite through the rind, scoop out the sweet pulp, and leave behind a shredded husk that looks like it exploded. What draws them in isn’t just the sugar. It’s the scent. Melons signal water, calories, and low resistance. And once they figure out your garden has them, they’ll start making regular rounds.
Preventing them takes a mix of strategies. Low fencing won’t cut it with coyotes. They’ll jump over anything under five feet without even trying. For foxes, the threat is more about squeezing through small gaps. Reinforced wire with small openings, set into the ground to prevent digging, works best. Scent deterrents like wolf urine can help if refreshed frequently, but nothing beats early harvesting and storing ripe melons indoors. Don’t give them a reason to check twice.
3. Tomatoes attract skunks who don’t care how neat they look.
Tomatoes are easy to grow, but they’re just as easy to lose—especially if skunks show up. These nocturnal foragers aren’t picky. They’ll take a bite out of every ripe tomato they find and move on, leaving a row of red orbs with perfect round gouges, as stated by the people at Skunks Guide. It’s frustrating because they rarely finish an entire fruit. They sample, sniff, and head to the next one, ruining multiple plants in one pass.
Skunks prefer low-hanging fruit, so trellising tomatoes higher off the ground helps reduce temptation. But that’s not enough on its own. Deterring them often requires a combo of light and scent. Motion-activated solar lights can spook them, and citrus peels or ammonia-soaked rags can create invisible boundaries they’re reluctant to cross. It’s a battle of persistence, but every barrier helps. And the more unpredictable your deterrents are, the less likely a skunk will settle in for a snack.
4. Strawberries bring in birds who aren’t shy about helping themselves.
Just as those strawberries hit peak ripeness, birds descend like it’s their personal brunch spread, as mentioned by the writers at Bonnie Plants. Robins, starlings, and jays are especially fond of them. They’ll peck holes in the fruit and leave it dangling, half ruined. Sometimes they go after the seeds too, leaving a mangled mess that’s impossible to salvage. And it doesn’t take a large flock to wipe out a patch. A few birds can ruin a dozen plants before you’ve had your first bowl.
The most effective defense is netting—but it has to be done right. Loose nets trap birds and cause more trouble. Use taut mesh raised on hoops or posts to cover the plants without draping directly on them. Reflective tape and hanging foil pans can confuse birds temporarily, but they catch on quickly. If you want strawberries and not a feathered feeding frenzy, netting is your best bet. Just don’t wait until the fruit’s already turning red.
5. Peas and beans attract deer who go straight for the tender shoots.
It starts with a few missing leaves. Then suddenly, your whole row is chewed down to stubs. Deer love peas and beans—not just the pods but the young plants too. They target them for their soft texture and moisture content, especially in dry summers when natural forage is harder to find, according to the experts at BC Farms and Food. What’s left behind usually isn’t salvageable. A visit from a deer can mean starting over entirely.
Deterring deer takes commitment. Tall fencing—at least eight feet—is the gold standard. If that’s not possible, try layering fencing at different angles or using fishing line at varying heights, which confuses them. Scent deterrents like soap shavings or rotten egg sprays can help, but only if reapplied regularly. Rotating what you use every few weeks keeps deer from adapting. If you’re serious about peas and beans, it’s not a casual fix. You’ll need to get creative and stay a step ahead.
6. Sunflowers lure squirrels who shred the heads just for fun.
If you’ve ever grown sunflowers, you’ve probably come out one morning to find the giant flower heads shredded, seeds scattered, and stalks bent in half. That’s usually the work of squirrels. They love sunflower seeds and won’t wait for them to be harvested. They’ll climb up, gnaw through the stem, or simply chew off the head and drag it somewhere else to eat at their leisure. And they don’t always stop at one.
Discouraging squirrels takes more than yelling from the porch. Netting around the heads works if installed early, and metal collars or loose PVC sleeves on the stalks can make climbing harder. But they’re agile, and one missed gap can ruin the whole setup. Planting decoy sunflowers farther from your main crop can sometimes redirect their attention. In urban gardens, motion sprinklers help, but if squirrels have claimed your yard as part of their territory, it might come down to daily monitoring and outsmarting them with shifting tactics.
7. Cucumbers are often raided by groundhogs who don’t share well.
Groundhogs go big or go home. When they decide your cucumber patch is theirs, they don’t nibble. They gorge. These animals are bulky and determined, and they’ll eat both the fruit and the vine. You’ll often find a whole section leveled overnight, with chewed stems and empty cucumber skins left behind like some weird produce graveyard. Once they’ve marked your garden as a food source, they’ll come back regularly unless stopped.
Fencing is your best option, but it has to go underground. Groundhogs dig, and a fence that isn’t buried at least a foot deep might as well not be there. Above ground, it should stand at least three feet and preferably have a floppy top that’s hard to climb. Sealing up burrow entrances near your garden is also key, though that can get complicated if they’ve built a network under sheds or decks. Adding crushed gravel around the perimeter can make digging more effort than it’s worth.
8. Carrots disappear fast when rabbits realize they’re growing.
Carrots don’t even have to be visible to attract rabbits. They’re drawn to the scent of the greens and know what’s waiting underneath. Once they find a row, they’ll dig, nibble the tops, and yank the roots right out. It’s not unusual to find half-eaten carrots or empty holes where a row used to be. What starts as one rabbit can quickly turn into a full family feasting nightly.
Short fencing might deter other animals, but not rabbits. You need a mesh with openings smaller than an inch, buried several inches into the soil to prevent tunneling. Even then, they’ll test for weak spots. Raised beds with hardware cloth bottoms offer better protection, especially in high-pressure areas. Scare devices rarely work long-term unless combined with barriers. If you’re growing carrots, just assume rabbits are plotting, and build accordingly. They’re cute, but they don’t leave much behind.
9. Pumpkins don’t stand a chance when porcupines find them.
Porcupines aren’t usually the first animal that comes to mind when thinking of garden pests, but they’ll absolutely go after pumpkins. They chew into the rind, gnaw at the flesh, and leave behind toothy chunks that make it look like someone took a hatchet to your harvest. It’s not just the taste—they’re after the salt and moisture content, especially in drier months. Once they’ve sampled one, they’ll try every pumpkin you’ve got.
Since porcupines are slow movers, deterrents can work well. A low electric fence around the patch is often enough. They can climb, but they’re not great at jumping or digging. Sprays made with capsaicin or garlic oil can help if reapplied after rain. Keep your compost and trash well secured too, since those smells can draw them into the area. If pumpkins are your pride and joy, treat them like they’re under siege. Because they kind of are.
10. Lettuce is practically an open buffet for armadillos.
Armadillos are digging machines, and if your garden has loose soil and a bed full of lettuce, they’ll find it. They’re not picky eaters, and lettuce is soft, easy to pull up, and filled with water. You’ll often find entire heads missing or mashed into the dirt, along with a trail of small craters from where they were sniffing out grubs or roots along the way. It looks like chaos because it is.
Keeping armadillos out is a lot like rabbit-proofing with a few extras. Barriers need to be both tall enough and sunk deep—at least 12 inches down. These animals are persistent diggers, and if they sense food, they’ll spend hours figuring out how to get to it. Floodlights can spook them, but only for a while. Keeping mulch and compost away from garden beds helps by reducing insect activity that might attract them. When lettuce starts disappearing overnight, it’s often a sign you’ve got an underground visitor. And if you don’t act fast, they won’t be the only one.