This harvest I was not able to pick a single corn cob. Some large animal(s), I suspect raccoons, got to them before they were ripe (I would find peeled and gnawed corn littering the lawn and the corn stems bent down when I got home). I had crushed garlic all over the garden. This kept the rabbits away, but was not effective against the large animal.
I am looking for a solution that does not involve putting a fence around my garden patch. Are there plants that raccoons are repelled by? Has someone tried prickly plants to make the patch unattrative to raccoons? I am told these are very intelligent animals, so I think the solution will have to be a mix of good ideas.