While rabbits are cute to look at, especially as babies, they can really damage both your vegetable and flower gardens. If you’re looking for how to keep rabbits out of the garden, I have some tried and true ways to keep your garden safe from rabbits. Show
What are the Signs of Rabbits in Your Garden?If you think you have a rabbit problem but haven’t seen any with your own eyes, look for one or more of the following rabbit damage signs:
What You'll Be Needing: Hoont Solar Powered Motion Activated Use this solar-powered animal repeller to keep rabbits from your garden Agribon AG-19 Floating Row Crop Cover Use this to cover your crops and protect them from rabbits Spicy Globe Basil Planting these in your garden will keep bunnies out Bonide (BND2362) A strong repellent that keeps rabbits out and works for other critters too Eliminator Scarecrow Owl Decoy Using this will scare away unwanted pests and more Plantskydd Rabbits & Small Critters Organic Repellant It is used as a natural deterrent for rabbits and small critters Bird Blinder Scarecrow Fake Owl Decoy Scares away unwanted pests and more In the Breeze Silver Mylar Pinwheel Their spinning motions and sound keeps rabbits, and even birds off of your plants Havahart 1084 Easy Set One-Door Cage Trap Use this live trap to catch rabbits Outsidepride Red Clover Seed A plant that rabbits want. Place this wisely and catch your rabbit’s attention Soybean Envy D105A (Green) 80 Organic Seeds Place this away from your garden, and you’ll be able to keep your garden safe Outsidepride White Dutch Clover Seed It can be used as food plots for rabbits to keep them away from your garden If you garden, you’re sure to have some garden enemies. As you prepare for your garden every year, keep in mind that if you plant the rabbit’s favorite veggies and flowers, they’ll come for a visit. What do they like? Lots of your veggies and flowers. Plants that rabbits love to eatYou may wonder what are the rabbits’ favorite plants to eat. They LOVE fresh veggies from your garden. Bunnies will always nibble on these:
Rabbits don’t just love your fruit and vegetable garden: they adore many of your beautiful flowers! Here are just a few:
If you plant any of these flowers and veggies, you’ll need to find ways to keep rabbits away from your garden. I asked my Facebook followers what they do to keep rabbits away from the vegetables, and got lots of ideas. I’ll share them below, but first, let’s see what plants rabbits hate. Plants that rabbits hateIf you plant flowers and vegetables that rabbits love, you’ll struggle to keep them away from your garden. But you can plant some plants that rabbits won’t eat: herbs and flowers that are heavily scented and are known to be avoided by rabbits. Here are just a few plants with strong scent:
There are many other plants rabbits won’t eat, but these are a few you can plant right away while you research what else to plant. So… How Do You Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden?While it’s never fun to deal with pests in your garden, I hope you’re only using humane ways to keep them out of your garden. I’ve heard of people using moth balls to repel rabbits from the garden, and I don’t agree with that method. It’s not only toxic for the rabbits, but they are harmful to humans. Please don’t use mothballs in the garden! With that out of the way, let’s see what you CAN do to prevent rabbits from destroying your favorite flowers and vegetables. 1. Use an electronic rabbit repellent
It’s an inexpensive, effective way to keep rabbits away, and it’s not harmful to anything in my garden: just keeps critters away (not only rabbits but also squirrels, skunks, rats, raccoons, mice and so much more). There are many models on the market today, but I prefer this solar battery-powered ultrasonic outdoor animal & pest repeller – it’s motion-activated and makes it almost hands-free (I prefer to move it around the yard occasionally to make sure I cover all areas). If you struggle with unwanted critters in your garden and around your home, you need to give this a try. 2. Install a rabbit proof garden fenceProbably one of the most efficient ways to keep rabbits out of your vegetable garden is to build a rabbit-proof fence around the garden. It doesn’t have to be too tall unless you want to protect your garden from deer too. To protect against cottontail rabbits, your fence needs to be two feet high and three feet high to protect against jackrabbits. Use chicken wire if you don’t want to spend a lot, but hardware cloth is probably better in the long run: just make sure you bury the bottom of the fence into the ground so that the bunnies can’t crawl under. If you’d rather use an electric fence, place the electric wires at 3″ and at 10″ above the ground. If you need a budget option, electric fencing is cheaper than hardware cloth. A similar idea is to use floating row covers at night (that’s when rabbits love to roam the garden). 3. Use plants that repel rabbits in your gardenRabbits love young, fresh, delicate veggies, but they don’t care much for strong scented herbs and flowers. Plants that keep rabbits awayHere are some plants that deter rabbits. Plant a few of them around the garden to keep the bunnies out.
4. Outdoor pets can help keep rabbits awayOur beloved pets are very helpful in keeping bunnies out of the backyard. It’s not only the fact that they’ll chase the rabbits away but the smell of the dog or cat hair and urine is enough to keep them away. 5. Remove the optimal conditions for rabbitsRabbits will only stick around places where they can take cover from predators, such as dense vegetation, piled-up garden refuse, and disorganized tools and containers scattered in your garden. Keep your garden area organized and free of garden debris. Brush piles, leaves, rocks, dry plants, buckets, etc make it easy for the rabbits to hide. Also, get rid of tall grass and low bushes. 6. Keep them away with these safe rabbit repellents
7. Scare the rabbits awayUse an old hose to wrap through the garden: it works surprisingly well. The bunnies think it is a snake, and no one wants to share space with a snake. Or, just buy a few rubber snakes (this set includes 7 snakes!) and place them close to your most favorite plants. Place pinwheels around your garden: the motion from them spinning and the sound will keep rabbits away from the garden. They will also scare birds away (this will save your tomatoes too!!!) 8. Catch rabbits in a live trapThis might be lots of work for some, and fun for others. It’s not a one-time method, so requires repeating periodically if you want to reduce the rabbit population, as new rabbits move into your garden. If you decide you want to use this method, make sure you have a place to take your rabbits to, but more importantly, make sure it’s legal to do this where you live. Need a live humane trap? This one’s my favorite. What bait should you use for your live traps? You have a few choices:
9. Embrace the rabbitsFor some of us, rabbits bring a smile and we just want to coexist. Rabbits are hungry too, so we might put food out for them. Plant what rabbits want. Do it away from your garden, and you’ll be able to keep your garden safe and enjoy the little hoppers in your yard too. We replaced the lawn in our backyard with clover, and bunnies keep congregating there, instead of raiding our flower beds and vegetable garden. As an added bonus, our backyard is alive with bees and butterflies!
DYI rabbit repellentYou can make a homemade rabbit repellent from a few ingredients you’re sure to have in your house: add equal parts of the following ingredients in a gallon of water, shake well and leave in the sun for about 2 days.
After 2 days, strain the liquid, add to a spray bottle and spray around the plants you want to protect from rabbits. If you’d like more choices, take a look at this video for another idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8B65oKNx1Q I hope you found here something that will work out for you in your fight to keep rabbits out of the garden. If you use different methods, please share in the comments: it could save someone’s veggie garden or flower beds. FAQDo marigolds keep rabbits away?The theory is that the rabbits find the smell of marigold too offensive and will stay away from them. However, this has not been proven as a fool-proof solution yet. If you want to try it out, plant a few marigolds around your perimeter fence or near any spots in your garden where you have had problems with rabbits before. Many people say they’ve had success in keeping rabbits away by planting marigolds around their garden, while others say the rabbits enjoy nibbling on their marigolds. It’s worth a try: even if the experiment is not successful in keeping bunnies out of your garden, you’ll at least have some beautiful flowers 😉 Do coffee grounds repel rabbits?Rabbits find the smell of coffee unpleasant, so this may help deter them from coming into your yard for food or shelter. And since coffee grounds are natural and free, work some into the ground around the plants you want to protect. Who knows? You might be successful at keeping rabbits out of the garden. Will vinegar keep rabbits away?Vinegar has been shown to be an effective deterrent against rabbits because they don’t like the smell. It makes them uncomfortable so it’s best to spray vinegar near areas where they’ve been digging or chewing on wire (be careful not to spray plants you want to keep alive). You can also try to place a cotton ball or a piece of cotton fabric soaked in vinegar and place it in a plastic container with some small holes to let the smell escape. Learning how to keep rabbits out of the garden can be tricky, as a solution that works for someone else, might not work for you. Just keep trying and hopefully, you find the right method for YOUR garden! What is a natural rabbit repellent?To make this rabbit repellent, first fill a one gallon container, such as a milk jug, with water. Crush 5 garlic cloves and add then to the water. Add a teaspoon of crushed red peppers and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Shake the container very well and then place in outdoors in the direct sun for two days.
What smells will keep rabbits away?Rabbits have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find accessible food sources. You can take advantage of this trait by using scents they dislike, such as garlic, vinegar, chili powder, predator urine, sulfur, blood meal, chives, lavender, geraniums, and wax begonias.
How do you keep bunnies away from your plants?8 WAYS TO KEEP RABBITS OUT OF YOUR GARDEN. Add physical garden barriers. ... . Protect individual plants. ... . Include plants rabbits don't like. ... . Remove potential nesting spots. ... . Add visual deterrents. ... . Elicit the help of predators. ... . Create your own spray. ... . Try other home remedies.. Does baking soda keep rabbits away?Arm & Hammer TM Baking Soda will help keep rabbits away from your plants. “Sprinkle baking soda around your vegetable garden. Make a thin but visible ring of baking soda around each plant. This will dissuade rabbits from nibbling on them.
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Natural ways to stop rabbits from eating plants
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