wild rabbits and keeping them out of a garden

[sheepery]

I have a few square foot gardens and as my lettuce, spinach, and beets have started to grow nicely I am having a problem with rabbits. I don't want to run him/her off, but i do want to eat what i have grown. I am not really in a place where i can put up a fence. I've done some different research on what do rabbits eat, but none of the sites i have found really answer my question. Here is my question. What can i plant maybe in a different part of my yard that might attract the rabbit away from my garden.

Could i put out raw corn or something? I've also seen were they sell rabbit repellant but it has moth balls in it which is a carcinogen. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[sheepery]

Oh is it a crazy idea to plant a rabbit garden? I was thinking i could put a garden on the edge of my yard where the rabbit is coming in. I just don't want to be too inviting...

 

[LakeCondo]

You have planted a garden that rabbits will love! Can't you put up a temporary fence, just 3-ft stakes & wire mesh? You can step over it, but they can't.

Pet rabbits aren't supposed to have corn, but it'd be ok for wild rabbits, I'm sure. One food plant that's toxic to rabbits so they don't eat it is tomato. They can eat ripe tomatoes but not the plant itself, so rabbits leave it alone. Also potatoes & onions are left alone. Otherwise, I'd say plant more of what you like & hope you'll get to eat most of it.

 

[JimD]

I use rabbit fencing around my gardens.

My yard has LOTS of clover so the wild buns tend to eat that instead of going through the trouble of figuring out how to get in my gardens.

Fake/rubber snakes can be placed in the garden.
It's pretty funny to watch the rabbits when they find them. They'll hop around in front of the "snake" and try to get it to move. After a while they do figure out that it poses no danger to them.

Putting out corn may or may not work. It may attract other animals that might get into your garden....like squirrels.
Use dry or cracked corn, though. Rabbits can't digest the raw kernel skins, and they can end up getting a GI blockage.

The rabbits by us don't bother the fenced in gardens, but the squirrels hop the fence and dig everything up.

My biggest problem is groundhogs. I've had them dig under the fence to get to my garden. I had to bury the bottom of the fence to keep them out.

 

[sheepery]

Using snakes is a great idea. I am sure my boys have some in the bottom of their toy box. Squirrels are a problem for sure, though once the garden gets established they are not to big of a problem.

 

[ZRabbits]

We always keep a fence around our garden and have connected the bunny run to it. The squirrels, if they get really annoying are humanely trapped and sent to another part of the township. One year we relocated 26 of the little buggers. Last year was about 15.

Peanut Butter does wonders! And we and our bunnies get the bounty of our garden.

K