Just wondering if there are any new ideas for keeping rabbits out of the garden; already they have chewed everything that had popped up even a little. SO frustrating.

We have a farm field behind our house, and the rabbits have holes dug all around our fence back to the field. I'm hoping to put chicken wire up along the fence, but I'm sure they will find a way in. Plus they eat everything on the sides and in the front.

I saw an animated owl at the hardware store the other day; has anyone had luck with that type of deterrant? I hate to put chicken wire along the garden since it's right next to the patio and is so unsightly.

Any fresh ideas?

I sprinkled a rabbit deterrent around them, but don't know if it works. I'm hoping someone can come up with a solution other than chicken wire because that won't do for us either. My DH says he'll take care of it with his 22, but is there a less violent way?

I have other critters in my yard, I'm not sure if it's voles, moles or squirells that are digging up my tulip and daffodil seedlings and also making all these holes in my lawn. Oh it makes me so made, we work so hard to keep our yards looking nice and they come along and undo it all in a matter of an afternoon!

No ideas here either, sorry. How about a trap? You could start a bunny farm and send the babies home with the neighbor kids for pets..lgl. Have any nephews and nieces that need pets? How about school science teachers that might like a demonstration of biology..lol. Rabbit stew? What did Mr. McGregor do? Didn't he chase them with a shovel? lol

pm2

Hey, whatever works. If my dog can't get out of her fenced-in backyard, I'm assuming coyotes can't get in, right?

I think I'll put some chicken wire up this weekend just for a month or so the plants can get established.

Happy Gardening!

That said, I LOVE nepeta for the long bloom season, easy maintenance and beautiful shape.

Cameron

My problem is squirrels, both gray & ground(chipmunks). They don't usually eat the plants(but will, if no other food souce is available), but destroy them, by digging them up, while searching for nuts, berries and seed. During the past two years, I have trapped and relocated more than 50 of the critters, but have become resigned to the fact that I will NEVER be free of them!
Rb

She also hunts mice and sometimes catches birds. Even though I'm not too fond of the cat's hobby, she certainly keeps the rabbit population down in our yard. We suspect it's because she prowls outside day and night. I don't see the tops of my bulbs being eaten, which is pretty common in our neighborhood in early spring. We live along a river and there is plenty of wildlife but nothing comes into our yard. The cat's like a watchdog ... she won't chase after the muskrats that approach our yard, but they sure do scurry along when they spot her.

So I say... get a cat! By the way, ours is no special breed. She was an abandoned cat that had lived outdoors for most of her young life, which could account for her hunting abilities and preference for night prowling. My husband took her in when she was a baby and slowly tamed her (using a water spritzer. She lived with him in as an indoor cat in an apartment for about 8 yrs before we married and bought our house. The first time her tiny paws touched our back deck that overlooks the river, she jumped off and explored the yard. She's been hunting ever since.

Molie

He has his usual response ... without the cat, I'd have no flowers. Sad but true. Baby Girl's hunting season is short, but very fruitful. Soon the rabbits will be gone, at least in our yard.

Molie

Carrie

I too am agaist fencing in a garden,I would love to shot them and make a good stew, but with my luck I would be seen by some animal act- ti- fest and He would have ME for dinner. Letting those rabbits have a free Brksft, Lnch, N Dinner is getting a little frustrating.

Have to Write off this years Garden.

Hope this helps....... GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with the rabbits.

Once the plant has outgrown its cage I remove it and don't have much more trouble afterwards.

Where I am, there are foxes and plenty of hawks plus my neighbor's dog, so not a lot of rascally rabbits this year.

Here's a picture from back then:

Even though I knew they'd likely be eating my plants in a matter of days, I didn't have the heart to hurt them.

We will be putting out a havaheart trap and relocating them if it works. The one dog loves chasing them off, but she can't catch it (too old and slow) and they keep returning.

The rabbits also don't seem to bother anything around the wild geraniums, either. They can be a little invasive but aren't that hard to control. Strongly scented. Mine are pinker than the ones usually pictured but I'm sure that's what they are.