Mission Accomplished...we think

day 2 and it looks like the raccoons have been outsmarted - at least for now. Lots of damaged yellow melons from before, but no new damage. I'm glad the coons don't seem to like the other types:
And now, let's say a few words about the electric fence idea...Several years ago we were faced with a choice: electric fence or irrigation system. This was before the pond, so flooding the field with the pond wasn't even in the picture. We chose the fence - mainly because we were having such terrible deer problems, and we had tried several other things to no avail. Of course, that year proved to be the year of the worst drought we've had in a long time (of COURSE). And we thought we had made a bad decision...but that was then and this is now, as they say. It was the smartest thing we could have done. We chose to invest in a fencing system that went around the entire acre that is the garden. It was, in the big picture, not that expensive an investment. And to those who have written comments about your trials with critters (we know how exasperating that is!), I think you should take a look at this option. For a smaller space, it is very, very affordable. And it has saved us so much stress over time. We run higher wires when there are deer to be dealt with, but the smaller aggravating animals can be kept out with a few low wires (you do need to weed-eat frequently along the ground, though, so that the fence isn't shorted out by grass). All that human-hair / weird sprays / animal traps / shotgun at night (!) business can make you crazy! (we know because we've been there)... And you wake up at night knowing that they're still getting in and eating all your stuff while you sleep. And, of course, it does nothing about the blackbirds descending from above! Of course, from year to year, there's maintenance...but that's with anything, right? And it is basically a one-time investment - notwithstanding new wire from time to time, and this year we had to get a new box. But the first-time money pop is the only one that hurts. And it hurts a lot more when you go to gather the fruits of your labor only to find that something else has gotten there first! Here's a pretty good basic article about installing an electric fence around a small garden:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/deer-proof-electric-fence.aspx