Very little strikes fear in the heart of a gardener like the sight of two lengthy ears and a fuzzy little nose pointed hopefully toward their garden. Rabbits are notorious garden destructors with the potential to ruin entire crops in a short period of time. But, protecting your hard work and investment is possible, and here, we share a few tips discouraging these unwanted visitors from swiping your future harvest.
Fences
By far, a fence is the most reliable method for keeping rabbits out of your garden. Poultry fencing is relatively inexpensive and flexible – giving you the option of creating a barrier around the entire garden or surrounding each individual plant. Hardware cloth, bird netting, and other materials can be used too. Just be sure the spaces in the material are no bigger than an inch, that the completed fence is a least two feet tall, and that the bottom edge is buried a few inches into the ground – this prevents bunnies from crawling through, jumping over, or digging under your fence. Planting in raised garden beds and containers is another way to keep rabbits and plants apart – as long as these containers are tall enough, of course.
Repellants
Animal-repellant products containing certain herb oils, blood meal, egg solids, hot pepper, and other ingredients have shown positive results too. Repellents work by training rabbits to associate your plants with strange odors and flavors that they may find frightening or distasteful. And with enough repeated negative experiences, they may give up and move on. For best effectiveness, we recommend carefully reading the repellant’s label for instructions on how – and how often – to apply it. And then stick to the schedule.
Just be cautious when applying repellents around vegetable gardens because some are not labeled for use on edible plants – another reason to always carefully read the label. But, even if a repellent isn’t labeled for edibles, it may be possible to use it as a border around the edge of the garden – rather than directly on or next to the plants themselves. If you have any questions, be sure to ask our Plant Care team.
Strategic Planting
Including the right companion plants in your garden can also deter, sidetrack, or confuse bunnies into missing your favorite crops. Consider dispersing extra-fragrant plants like garlic, onions, rosemary, or lemongrass among your vegetables – these are scents that rabbits tend to avoid. Or you can surround your entire garden with a border of these plants too. Some perennials to consider as companion plants include salvia and catmint – rabbits aren’t as inclined to eat them, and they’re tall enough to block a rabbit’s view of your lettuce. Other plant varieties – like geraniums, wax begonias, ageratum, lantana, and marigolds – don’t necessarily repel rabbits, but their presence might make a garden seem less appealing. Keep in mind too that rabbits vary in their preferences – just like we do – so you may need to experiment to find out which ones work best against your resident rabbits.
And although it may seem counterproductive, Greenhouse team member – and avid vegetable gardener – Noel Olson likes to plant “sacrificial crops” – vegetables the rabbits especially love and will choose first over anything else. These tasty diversions might include eggplant, lettuce, peas, clover, or dill – which she plants in a temptingly unprotected spot apart from her “real” garden.
Scare Tactics
Predator decoys can also be effective at discouraging visiting rabbits. But rabbits are smart, and they’ll eventually figure out that your plastic owl or hawk is a fraud. To keep everyone guessing, move the decoy to a different location every couple of days. Noel also likes to use spinning pinwheels and decorative solar lights – particularly ones that flash. Rabbits – and their destructive partners, the squirrels – find the movement and light disturbing. But, like with decoys, they’ll soon realize that there’s no actual threat, so it’s a good idea to move these features regularly too.
Protecting Your Investment
Sharing – or determinedly not sharing – our outdoor spaces with other creatures can be a challenging part of gardening. If rabbits are frustrating your efforts, come talk to us – we have our own gardens, and we know how it is. We’ll help you determine ways to keep the bunnies away from your garden and ensure a successful harvest later in the summer.
