Camellia hedge choices | Don't feed raccoons

Q: I have the unfortunate situation of a neighbor who feeds the raccoons cat food. I am challenged to fence a new vegetable garden in a way that will keep out both the deer and the large population of raccoons that fearlessly transit our yard.

I'm concerned not only that raccoons will eat some things like tomatoes, but also that their fecal material contains pathogens that could be transmitted to humans. Can you tell me how to keep raccoons out of a garden?

A: Your neighbor is not only creating a difficult and perhaps even dangerous situation in your neighborhood but also not doing the raccoons any favors. Urban Wildlife biologist Russell Link writes in his book "Living With Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest" (University of Washington Press, 2004) "Feeding raccoons may create undesirable situations ... raccoons that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive. Artificial feeding also tends to concentrate raccoons in a small area and overcrowding can spread diseases and parasites."

According to Link, raccoon feces may contain a parasite that's possibly fatal to humans.

Link's book, available in libraries and bookstores, gives details on how to keep raccoons, that most dexterous of our native mammals, from climbing over or digging under fences (electrified wires, small mesh size on fences, flashing around the base of vertical structures).

Be sure and keep all pet food stored securely, and pick up fallen bird seed and fruit so as not to attract raccoons. And explain to your neighbor that by feeding raccoons she's creating a potentially dangerous problem for people and pets.

Link also advises that you wash the vegetables well before you eat them.

For additional information on dealing with raccoons, including how to fence them out of the garden, go to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site wdfw.wa.gov, click on Living with Wildlife, then click on mammals and scroll down to raccoons.

For more information on raccoon feces and humans go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/dpd/parasites/baylisascaris/factsht_baylisascaris.htm.

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.