Four healthy leafy greens.

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Mrs. PBJ

Mrs. PBJ

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Galveston, Texas, USA
Ok so I have does this question befor in a different format.

For other things but now I am trying to get storm on four health beneficial leafy greens.

Sense money is tight I want the four things I add to his saled to benefit his health and not be a waiste of my money. Or not Benefit him.

Right now he get Romaine lettuce and cilantro. My mother gives me her celery so thats free to me. But I would like to add more leafy greens that benefit his health.

He won't eat parsely so thats out. And I look at those list and get very over wlemed this will be perminant. I give him variety with his hay and his treats that he gets.

I have looked at this list but to be honest I dont know much about greens so I could use some help.

My goal in this is to get him on four leafy greens that i dont have to give in moderation that he can eat all the time. That benefit his diet. And his health.

Like carrot tops dont work for me because we dont eat carrots like that.

I have looked under rabbits 101 and just get more over welmed cause to be honest I just dont know what most of those things are.



i guess i am trying to find the perfect salad. For a rabbits health

Thisis the list I have really looked at

http://www.mckellier.com/archives/images/2006/RabbitMenu.pdf

Me And hubby and storm thank you in advance

 
Why do you have to eat carrots to get carrot tops? You grocer should just give them to you for free. You may also be able to get free beet greens. (I'm not sure what grows the best in your area).

My guys' favorite broad leaf veggie is still kale. Broccoli leaves and stems are also popular - the former with the little guys, the latter with the big guys. And they all love cauliflower. All three are members of the cabbage family, so they shouldn't have a meal consisting of just those three. I think chard is too, I have to check, but that's another good one.

Raddish leaves can be an occasional addition. (High in calcium to not good for sludge or stone-prone bunnies).

Herbs of any kind go over great -- especially dill, fennel ends and italian parsley (not english).

Variety is the most important thing.

I'd feed three leafy greens and one or two other non-greens, like cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, raddichio or even bell pepper. And rotate the leafy greens so they have a different configuration every few days.

Hope this helps!


sas :bunnydance:
 
I get most of my produce at a wholesale produce place. I can buy about 3-4 days worth of greens (usually Romane, Endive, Dandelion Leaf, parsley and cilantro) for 7 rabbits for around $20. If I add carrots and fruit it adds about $5 to the bill. Much cheaper than the grocery store. I still get things at the store if I can't get to the produce place.
 
My only options are krogers wal mart and randells

It only cast me about 15a month at the moment to feed storm. His vegys.

About 5 bucks a week is what I am shooting for.

The romaine is only one buck and the cilantro is the same so I was planning on adding another 3 bucks a week.




 
Ask for the Produce Manager.

Amd add spinach to my list.

Basically lettuce and celery I think are in the same category... beet greens and spinach are in another ... and kale, cabbage, brocolli in another... and the herbs like the cilantro and in another.

So at least one from each group will be a good mix.

(Someone may want to double check my groupings).

Also look at the 'Recession-Proof Your Rabbits' article. Lots of tips about getting free and leftover veggies. I spent a lot of time writing it, no point in re-writing it here. :expressionless


sas :bunnydance:
 
I iwll be making a trip to all 3 stopres monday to talk to manegers.

I have a black thumb but mabye a garden would work.

What would I need to start. I have a nice patio that i could put a few pots out there.

IWhat would the basic be to start and what are a few good plants I was looking and will do more looking tomorrow.
 
I see you live in Texas, so there's a lot you can grow :)

Basil grows really well in pots, and I haven't met a bunny yet that doesn't like it.
Another easy one is Pineapple Sage, it is hardy (mine died off after a frost here in Sacramento, CA, this year, but it's leafing out again). Grows really well in pots too, has lovely red flowers that are edible as well.

I have seen people grow lettuces in pots even, those long rectangular ones work well. You can get seed packets that are a mix of different lettuces, like Mesclun mix, spicy mix, etc. If you pick a few leaves every day, they will keep growing throughout the season.
Other herbs grow well in pots too, parsley, chervil, dill..., even "ornamental kale".

Radishes too, they grow fast and easy. Storm can eat the greens, you can eat the radishes :)

I know people grow strawberries in pots, too.. you can get "strawberry pots" that have several little openings for growing them in. Again, Storm can eat the leaves (and the berries and flowers), you can eat the berries.

I haven't tried this, but i just thought, maybe you can even try growing some carrots in one of those long rectangular pots... We grow some in our yard just for the green tops, for Hazel. We sowed the short, rotund kind for that, I bet they would work in a pot, they don't go very deep at all. Since carrots are bi-anual, you can leave them in the ground through the winter (at least here in the south :) ). We have always fresh carrot greens for Hazel that way. They get flowers in the secon year (Storm can eat those too), after that they die off and you'll need to re-sow them.

I added a section to Pipp's "recession proof" article, about gardening. Not specifically for pots, but lots of the flowers and herbs grow well in pots too.
 
Can I trick them into growing year around if I bring them inside.

Hubby wants to do it I think it would be benifishal to us to.
 
If you can get to any farmer road-side stands that sell local produce, or have a farmers market, on the whole, they usually have better produce and cheaper prices.
I can't buy my Kale, collard greens, mustard greens or turnip greens at Wal-mart cause they always look like they've sat their for 1 week..so when I can't get to any local produce stands I visit Food Lion, Krogers or Bi-Lo.
 
SDC10412.jpg


This is my pot

SDC10413.jpg


This is hubbys

This is the first time I have ever done this. They are both cilantro. I will add bazil and carrots if this works out. Money only allow me one thing a trip but next I am going to get the big regtangle one. And add bazil and stawberrys and spinach.
 
Mrs. PBJ wrote:
Can I trick them into growing year around if I bring them inside.

Hubby wants to do it I think it would be benifishal to us to.
Click to expand...
Not sure which ones you are talking about, but herbs can be grown inside during winter, as long as you have a sunny window to put them in.

Basil is an anual (that means it dies each year, after flowering and going to seed), though, so you may need to reseed for a winter crop. You can make it last longer if you pick the flowers off as soon as they appear (and yes, Storm will eat those too). That will also help the plants grow more bushy. Our Basil here grows from about May to November, sometimes mid-december. But that's outside in the yard.

The carrots here grow outside all year round, no need to put those in.
I don't think you'd need to bring the pineapple sage in either, unless there's a frost.

Cilantro is an anual too, but I bet you can sow it again in a pot inside for the winter.
Spinach I think is anual too.

I have never tried growing strawberries in pots, so I'm not sure about those. We do have "wild" strawberries in our yard, the local California forrest strawberries, and they are green pretty much all year long, though there are less leaves in winter. The fruits of these are very small, but very tasty. I started those 3 years ago, from 3 little plants we bought at a native plant sale, and now they cover almost 40 square feet in 2 shady areas. We helped a bit by moving the runners and young shoots around, but still.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions :).
I have also several packets of seeds that I won't be using, so you're welcome to try them if you wish. Not sure whether they'll all grow well where you are, but it might be worth a try. PM me your address if you're interested.
 
Here's a video showing and discussing vegetables for rabbits. Pictures of vegetables are included.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W62vZIKW4g[/ame]
 
If you go to a garden center and you don't want to wait, they should have herbs already growing. You can also buy small strawberry plants which grow just fine in a pot.

At my garden center, herbs and strawberries come in 3" containers and are about $3-$4. We also sell six packs of vegetable plants (those containers that have 6 cups) for about $2. For about $30 (including pots, soil, plants), I bet you could start some really decent bunny container gardens that would take care of a bulk of your needs.

I'm not sure about growing things in Texas, since I live in Connecticut, but right now cold crops (like lettuce, broccoli) are coming out.

With container gardens, you have to pay particular attention to watering. They dry out quicker, and you can't water them too much or the soil will get soggy and the plant will drown.

I hope that helped some!
 
I printed out the list from the HRS website, and keep it in my purse. That way, when I'm at the store I can check the list if I am unsure if something is safe.

Here's the link: http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

The list you linked to looks really comprehensive, and I don't recognize some of those things, either. You could just write down the ones you are familiar with, and are likely to encounter in your grocery store, and not worry about the other stuff.

My rabbits usually get romaine lettuce, parsley, cilantro, and dandelion greens every day. But if green or red leaf lettuce looks better than the romaine, I will get that instead. Parsley can be either flat or curly. From there, I can add variety if I have it, or if it's on sale. (I got some spinach on sale for myself, and will probably add a small amount into the rabbits salad tomorrow. Or if I get broccoli for myself, the bunnies will get small pieces of the stem. Or if kale looks really good, they'll get that instead of dandelion.) Once you establish a "regular" salad, you can add in or substitute small things here and there.


I grow herbs in pots on my deck in the summer. Kansas has some pretty harsh weather, but I have found a few that work well for me. Peppermint does very well for me, as do basil, thyme, and rosemary.
I usually just use the herbs to supplement the bunny salad during the growing season, and I use the herbs in cooking, as well. (I love to cook with fresh herbs, but they're expensive to buy at the store.)

I have already gotten rosemary and peppermint starts. It is still too cold here to put them outside, so they are in their little pots on my kitchen windowsill right now. (Most stuff doesn't overwinter for me, as I've got pots on a deck, a good freeze will kill them off.) In a few weeks, I will be able to plant them in large pots outside.
 
BethM wrote:
I printed out the list from the HRS website, and keep it in my purse.  That way, when I'm at the store I can check the list if I am unsure if something is safe.
Click to expand...


:yes: I am not the only one that has stacks of papers in my purse on safe bunny foods!!!!! LOLOLOL!!!!!

I think half of my purse is full with bunny food and toy lists!! HA HA!
 
Dandelion is a good green veggie that can be fed in moderation. It's high in
calcium but, it also acts as a diaretic so it counteracts itself by having a beneficial cleansing effect . I run around and gather the flowers from untreated lawns whenever I can. Chickory is also good in moderation....cut the roots off.
.
 
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