Blog, Home Gardening Tips
4 Tips For Protecting Your Plants From Rabbits
Don’t get us wrong. We love rabbits. They are cute, fuzzy, and overall adorable. But to the gardener, they’re troublesome fiends.
Rabbits have a habit of getting into gardens to nibble on plants. While they tend to do less damage than deer, it’s not a comfort to gardeners who have lost crop.
Up Next: 4 Tips For Transporting Trees Big & Small
How do you know if you have rabbits? Look for chewed tree bark near ground level, especially on saplings, small round rabbit droppings, and stems that have been eaten off with almost razor precision. If you have evidence of rabbits in your garden, follow these four tips to deter them:
Install Netting Around Your Plants To Deter Rabbits
Install bird or deer netting over or around young plants to prevent rabbit foraging. This method is extremely helpful if you have just planted young saplings that have not yet established themselves. These young trees are stressed out enough from being transplanted and do not need rabbits munching on their bark.
Plant Natural Repellants That Rabbits Dislike
Plant natural repellants that rabbits do not like, like leeks, onion, and mint, to discourage feeding in your garden. There are powders and other applications that you can use, but these need to be applied regularly, especially after it rains. Always read the instructions of repellants before use; especially around edible plants like vegetables.
Remove Rabbit Habitats Around The Garden
Rabbits like places with tall grass and bushes; places where they can easily run and hide when spooked. This is the reason why when you have rabbit damage to your garden, it is usually around the edges and not in the center.
Remove habitats like tall grass and overgrown bushes around your gardening area and block off entrances to under the porch and other hideouts.
Build A Raised Garden Bed That Rabbits Cannot Reach
A raised garden bed is a solid method of protecting your plants from rabbits. Not only can you easily attach netting to the sides, raising the bed to waist-height prevents them from getting in. There are many amazing raised garden beds that you can purchase. Or if you are of the DIY family, you can build your own raised garden bed.