We planted our garden. It began to grow and we were very happy. First we had this.
Beautiful lettuces, snow peas, and eggplant.
Then we had this. Rabbits.
And this.
Now we have this.
Rabbit-proof fence = $60. Keeping the little wild buggers from eating all of our produce? Priceless.
LOL @last line 🙂
I have heard of organic rabbit repellants. Dunno if they work.Tried them?
Rabbits can be such a pest. Where we are, the baby bunnies just jump right through the fence, while momma actually chews through it! Iron teeth and completely fearless. Good luck!
As cute as those bunnies are, they are definitely guilty of sabotaging your garden!! Good luck with the fence.
I've also tried sprinkling cayenne pepper around my tender leafy plants. It's not harmful to animals but does make them uncomfortable. Downside is that you need to reapply whenever it rains.
We've tried several humane options. Last year I sprinkled cayenne pepper all over my saffron crocuses to keep the bunnies from eating them, but it was only temporary, and this year the bunnies ate them all. We even tried setting a trap for a catch and relocate program, but the little buggers managed to get the bait without getting caught. Time for drastic measures.
Wow, total decimation. I love how much space you have for gardening!
I'm experiencing Bunny issues myself. We thought we had bunny-proofed out backyard with fencing, but of course the little buggers are probably getting under the fence. My pepper and broccoli plants have suffered the most. At first I thought it was bugs b/c I really haven't seen any rabbits, but the people at the garden center said it sounded like rabbits...SOOOO...
We coated our garden and fence line with Liquid Fence Dual Rabbit Repellent. Its free of harmful chemicals, just smells icky. I am not endorsing it, as I don't know how well it works (yet), but I will say it smelled obnoxious for a few hours, but then the smell faded (they say the rabbits can still smell it).
My grandma, an expert gardener, swears by Dried Blood Meal, available at any garden center. Plus, its good fertilizer.
I hope these suggestions help us both!! Best of luck!
We garden here in the winter and I didn't have any trouble with any little critter's but it seems like my 125lb mutt that we rescued has a penchant for all things veggie and growing in my garden. Caught him eating tomatoes right off the vine!!! I'll know better next year, for sure!!!
This is the biggest obstacle I'm facing in planting my garden. It's still time to plant where I'm at - but I have a bunny who has taken up residence in our yard. Not only that, but he loves to recline in one square of my raised garden!!! I have enjoyed watching him/her play, but I don't want to lose my tomatoes like I did last year. We are looking for humane options, too - and I hope my garden survives!
Our problem is out big german shepherd / lab mix (ironically named BabyGirl). she is laying down in the middle of one of our beds (ruining squash in the process) and eating the canteloupe plants. How odd.
So now I'm on the hunt for a dog deterrant. Any ideas? Oh - there is a fence - she jumps it. Grrrrrrrr
Hi Kelly. Let me say first I'm not a dog expert. There are products on the market that can deter dogs from certain areas, but I don't have any expertise in their use. If you think the dog can be trained to stay out of the garden, you might want to try that first and consult a dog trainer for suggestions.
So far, yep we have those little furry things, too, plus deer. We have been using Deer Pharm to deter the deer and it seems to be "helping" with the bunnies, but they are still trying to take out my cucs! Last year, we had to cage the squash, which never recovered from the bunnies eating most of the leaves and all of the blooms, over-night. The plants lived, but NEVER grew any bigger than they were that fateful night.
My wife had the same problems. After a few nights with my pellet gun, problem solved. Best garden we ever had. Forget fences and chemicals, nothing will work.