Rabbit problem

[divvy]

Does anyone have experiance of growing anything in a rabbit infested inviroment. I would like to grow some dwarf fruit trees and flowers in a small border. I also need to seed a new grass area and would like any advice please.

[veggiechicken]

I have rabbits in the garden - several burrows! I grow my veg inside a fenced off area. They seem to graze on the lawn - I haven't had any problems with them eating flowers or trees (that I've noticed ).
You could use tree guards but can't help you on the reseeded grass -sorry!

[taff]

When the rabbit was alive, he ate everything. The only thing he didn't touch were tomatoes, otherwise everythign else was fair game. You'll have to fence everything off, and even then, a determined rabbit can climb up to 4ft.

[tamsin]

Trees - use guards same as they do when planting young trees out in the 'wild'. Grass - turf and then mesh over it - they'll nibble the grass through but it will stop them digging holes.

[marchogaeth]

When the rabbit was alive, he ate everything.

Yes, the only place for a rabbit is on the plate or in somebody else's field. (OH says that about horses, too.)

Seriously, tree guards are a must and possibly even two so you really cover long way up the stem. Netting, buried so they can't dig under is the only guarenteed solution. Sacrifice areas like VC's lawn can help but you still need some sort of barrier. I'm lucky, the cats and foxes (coming in off the mountain) have kept them off my patch so far but they graze the sacrifice areas at the other end of the farm with impunity.

[pauco]

Makes a very nice pie!!


paul.

[GardenFaery]

want a lurcher on lend?

consider rehoming a greyhound? - there are lots that need good homes, they will love you forever and light your life up, they are the lightest dog in terms of not disturbing crops/flowers/gardens and you will NEVER have a small furry problem again!

Just need 6ft fences though LOL

[divvy]

Thank you all for your replies , I would love a lurcher , but this is for my new plot at my caravan in Dorset and I'm not sure we could cope . I have a border that is about 2ft x 15ft. It has a wall behind and I thought I would fan some dwarf fruit trees up the wall. The ones I bought from garden bargins were crap. All broken and dead. They say they are sending me my money back. So before I invest again in better ones I wanted advice. I will buy guards for the stems as I have seen baby rabbits eating the bark of the trees. We have a space 15ft x 10 where there was an old patio , this has been dug up now and we have prepared the ground for grass. We thought we would seed it , cover with compost and then Pea netting held up by sticks and down at the edges by tent pegs.

[snohare]

Well, seven rabbits are equivalent to one sheep, in the amount they eat; they will eat grasses first, then other plants including pretty much any tree bark except willow ( I presume rabbits come with inbuilt aspirin - perhaps that is why they have such reproductive success, the does never have a headache ), so nothing is safe where grass and trees are concerned, summer or winter. I had fruit tree seedlings inside a fenced off enclosure, in midwinter the rabbits walked across the snowdrift over the fence, and nibbled the trees from tip down to root, killing the lot.
The best way to avoid rabbit predation is to stop them from seeing the potential food, from that point of view perhaps debris/scaffolding netting tacked onto small posts is better than pea netting. But really, if you just want a small area of well-cut grass, do as has been suggested and put wire down to prevent digging, then enjoy watching the bunnies mow !

[Mrarchers]

Hi newbie member here from Surrey I'm a self employed gardener with a healthy round , I also keep ferrets nothing beats ferrets for controlling rabbits and you get a free dinner to : ) so if anyone in the south east has rabbit troubles let me know , and can even swap gardening knowledge whilst I clear out the pests regards j

[Pinfold Plotter]

I have them on my plot sporadically, I found a local lady with a couple of ferrets and I scatter their litter whenever the rabbits make an appearance. Seems to keep them at bay.