20 Ways to Deter Rabbits from Eating Your Garden
20 Ways to Deter Rabbits from Eating Your Garden
We can all pretty much attest to the fact that rabbits are cute. However, being that they are cute and rather harmless doesn’t negate the reality that the rabbit population being so large could quickly manifest your yard into a rabbit warzone.
Digging holes into your ground you’ve spent weekends mowing to perfection. Eating all of your vegetables from your garden – Pretty much burning your carrots at the level of annoyance and frustration!
We’re by no means Elmer Fudd by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve come to the right place as we do have a few tips and tricks to stop bugs bunny and his infinite family members with their bellies empty from eating up your garden or destroying your yard.
Here is our list of 20 ways to deter rabbits from eating your garden
#1 Fork and Beans
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Start forking your garden to prevent those big tooth eaters from eating away your food. It may look crazy, but it works. It is also equally great if you have a cat that likes to dig.
#2 Offer a Hot Treat
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Homemade alternatives to store-bought repellents is a safer approach to deterring those rabbits as you don’t don’t want to hurt them just keep them away from your prized harvest. A little bit of cayenne pepper, tabasco, dish soap, water, and eggs will do the trick. Mixture tutorial.
See 18 more deterring ways to keep rabbits out of your garden on the next page!
#3 Fence Them Out
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One of the most effective methods you will have to keep out those pesky cottontails. You will need chicken wire, wood and to fence it up to 2 feet in height. You won’t need the fence to be any higher because they can’t jump that high, nor can they climb. Also, bury the fence 3 to 6 inches below the ground to keep the rabbits from burrowing under the fence.
#4 Scarecrow
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Installing an automatic, motion-activated sprinkler like the scarecrow will work by spraying the rabbits and many other pesky garden destroyers every time they scurry about in the range of the sensors. If you purchase the right sprinkler, you can get one that will emit an overly overwhelming sound that will deter the rabbit from continuing its menacing journey.
Just keep in mind the path you aim the water at because you don’t want this trick to be counterproductive by over watering your plants.
#5 Marigolds
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Beautiful to us, but yucky to them. They don’t like the smell of marigolds so turn these golden beauties into a barrier for your precious garden. Not only do marigolds deter rabbits, but they also make for a terrific insect repellent.
#6 Rid them with Kindness
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Grow vegetables that they enjoy eating. Before you say we’re crazy here us out. If you find a section of your garden that is the furthest from your prize vegetables and grow all of their favorites they won’t be bothered to go anywhere else which means your ideal garden goes untouched. They love, love rosemary, parsley, beans, and peas – plant away!
#7 Havahart
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Lure your furry nibbler into a Havahart trap by placing the trap by their favorite foods and leave a few exposed treats inside the trap. The Havahart is the most humane way of trapping the rabbits (and raccoons, squirrels, etc.) allowing you to relocate them safely somewhere else.
#8 Hair for Hare
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Rabbits detest the smell of human hair, and this may seem gross, but it will work to keep the bunnies out of your food. Sprinkle some unwashed hair or store some inside of cheesecloth, or socks. Lay it by the vegetable or flowers that seem to be feeding on. You can get the hair from your hairbrushes or ask a local hair salon or barber shop for their floor “samples,” but keep in mind that the scent will wear off after a couple of weeks, and a new fresh application will be needed.
*Fun fact – human hair will be great for your soil by adding extra nutrients once the hair starts to breakdown.
#9 Predator Urine
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Rabbits fear Foxes so purchase some fox urine (or any rabbit predator urine) from your local gardening supply store or home repair shop then sprinkle around your lawn and garden. This application will have to be repeated every few weeks making this method rather costly, but effective.
#10 Corn on the Cob Soaked in Vinegar
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Rabbits hate the smell of white vinegar (any vinegar) because of its strong scent. Soak a few ears of corn in vinegar for at least 24 hours. Hang the corn on the framing of your garden. Re-soak the corn in vinegar every two weeks or so to keep the rabbits at bay.
#11 Garlic & Onion
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Edging your garden with garlic and onion (especially onion) is a terrific deterrent for rabbits. They hate the stuff and will plow through a row of them to get to their favorite foods, but if you have a garlic and onion “fence” they may just turn elsewhere.
#12 Irish Spring Soap
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Shred a few bars of the Irish Spring soap and stick them into some nylons or any mesh bag and tie them to the perimeter of your garden as the smell will keep rabbits, deer, squirrels and many other nibblers away or tie bars to the corners of the garden fence.
#13 Chicken Wire Cloche Cover
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Protect your strawberries and lettuce from uninvited dinner guest by covering them up with chicken wire cloche covers.
#14 Rose Plant Clippings
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Sprinkle out an unwelcome “mat” all around your garden providing the rabbits with a very uncomfortable walking space that will send them packing. Would you walk on needles for a carrot? 😉
#15 Ammonia Rags
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Cut up some old rags and soak them in a bucket of ammonia and make a “fence” out of them lining up the garden’s perimeter. Even goes as far as making an ammonia style pathway heading towards the spots they enter your yard from will stop them in their tracks.
Another alternative to making an ammonia fence (you would have to re-soak them daily) is to place the strips of rags in cups of ammonia so that it is continuously soaking in the awful smelling scent and lay the cups around the garden. Lastly, you could spray the foliage with the ammonia for an added deterrent. The ammonia works well because urine contains ammonia and the rabbits will think a human or predator is lurking nearby.
#16 Homemade Spray
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If you’re looking for a frugal way to repel rabbits from entering your garden that will do the job, then check out this homemade natural spray. You can make this repellent with items you may already have. Tutorial. Consists of crushed garlic, water, crushed red pepper, Castille soap, and a spray bottle.
#17 Super Hoops
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Cover up your precious vegetables and flowers (choose the rabbits favorites) with a garden fabric and support the fabric up with super hoops. Do make sure the fabric is secured on all sides.
#18 Electronic Owl Decoy
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Using a decoy owl whether it’s electronic or a statue will keep that rabbit away. The electronic owl utilizes motion sensors and will begin to flap wings and will hoot if a pesky pest is lurking. When choosing a statue or electronic remember that it’s all in the eyes. The more realistic the eyes are the more cautious the bunny will be.
#19 Rubber Snake
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Hang a few rubber snakes on the fences to your garden or lay them flat on the ground as a terrific deterrent. You will want to move the rubber snakes around every few hours or daily to give them a more realism before the rabbits start to question their eyes and take a leap of faith.
#20 No Hiding Spots
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This next tip is not exactly a repellent per say, but more of a preventative tip to keep them from even wanting to go near your garden.
Rabbits love hiding spots when they are creeping for food and will hide in garden equipment, dense shrubs, tall weeds, and much more. B
y eliminating their comfort zone, they will most likely not go near the garden in fear of owls and snakes they won’t be able to hide from quickly.
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