How do you keep rabbits from eating your garden?

**klean163** · 06-01-2010, 11:47 AM

Does anyone out there know some kind of stuff homemade or boughten to help keep rabbits from eating my sisters veggies in her garden ? Thanks , klean163

**Russ** · 06-01-2010, 11:50 AM

I've tried a few things...
statue of an owl
dog hair
tin pie plates

None of those worked.

So I put up a fence.

**nodmicks** · 06-01-2010, 11:52 AM

we tried what Russ said plus people hair and wolf urine. No luck! Dh put up a cheap chicken wire fence

**Josephhgoins** · 06-01-2010, 11:57 AM

Eat the rabbits first?

Also, a small electric fence with a few strands very close to the ground will work.

**KeithBC** · 06-01-2010, 04:41 PM

If your bunnies are persistent, you might need to bury some chicken wire a foot deep to prevent them from tunneling under the fence.

I second the electric fence. Our main pests are raccoons, and it keeps them out of our garden. There are rabbits on the island, but they haven't invaded our area yet, so I can't vouch for bunny-proofing.

**Jenny WC** · 06-02-2010, 08:26 AM

When I was little my grandfather use to say that if you plant a complete border around the garden with marigolds it would keep the bunnies out. I have no clue of it really works. We had three bunnies last year that kept eating all the strawberries so we caught them in a animal cage and release them on a friends farm.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 06-02-2010, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by Jenny WC

When I was little my grandfather use to say that if you plant a complete border around the garden with marigolds it would keep the bunnies out. I have no clue of it really works. We had three bunnies last year that kept eating all the strawberries so we caught them in a animal cage and release them on a friends farm.

It actually does work. Now the squirrels, well, they aren't bothered by stinky marigolds. They'll actually dig underneath them and the bushes too!

I wholeheartedly agree on the marigolds. You can try digging a trench and putting in the chicken wire (which is what I did on the left side of the garden) because more than a foot down, they will not dig. I'd also recommend getting some 18 inch or higher fencing that doesn't have wire to it. They can jump over the wire and dig beneath it.

**frugalwarrior2** · 06-02-2010, 07:10 PM

Our dogs eat them.

**imagine** · 06-02-2010, 08:25 PM

Marigolds is what I was going to say too.

When I was younger an organic gardener I knew planted them to keep rabbits out of her garden. She didn't have a full border. She just planted a few in among her veggies. It made her garden very pretty too.

**Missy** · 06-02-2010, 11:35 PM

I was going to suggest the marigolds and chicken wire fencing too.

**frugalfranny** · 06-03-2010, 12:31 AM

Yeow....makes me glad I don't have any of the little buggers. My sister has them and I see what she goes through. She has rabbits, moles and voles.............I think I would give up!

I would be for having some rabbit stew........save on the groc. bill too.

**Liane** · 06-03-2010, 01:10 PM

We have the little buggers all over. Now they are invading my garden. So far my marigolds have not grown, so I have to get some. I have a fence but they have been able to go through the holes. Just bought chicken fencing and have to put it up. Recently read a blog where a woman was having bunny problems. Her hubby killed one with a bb gun and they ate it for dinner. Personally I would try to relocate, don't think I could kill Thumper.

**pita1213** · 06-04-2010, 09:05 PM

they have only bothered my zucchini. I put bamboo skewers all around them with the pointy end sticking out. it took a couple of packages of them, but i found them dirt cheap. they have to be placed close together or they can squeeze through them.