"We have an abundance of garden destroying creatures where I live."
Why do I try growing outdoors? lol
I'm pretty lucky if I harvest any corn but this year I only had one or two seeds sprout.
Sorry about your neighbors.
If you're somewhere like Michigan I'd recommend growing some stuff like raspberries and chives outdoors. I think those re my two best crops.

I' hoping to be able to grow some lettuce and stuff indoors this year and maybe set up a super small outside greenhouse and maybe try and grow a few things outdoors in the winter.