Those pesky rabbits!

[Bibliobeck]

A quick question - I've finally uncovered the mystery of what's eating my 'stuff' despite having a bed that's raised about 2' off the ground - yes the stunt rabbits were caught red-handed munching away under my netting Unusually they haven't actually pulled anything up other than the fennel & lettuce, but they have eaten all the leaves and stalks (practically to ground level) of my raddish and calabrese. My question is will they come back (the veg, not the rabbits!) or should I dig them out and start again?

[Alice]

What a shame Bibliobeck. No your veg won't come back so start again and remember the rabbits will come back. I know how frustrating it is as we were pestered with roe deer before spent a fortune to fence them out and they ate everything - flowers,veg, shrubs, trees and what they didn't eat they trampled over. Everybody thinks they're lovely but the destruction was terrible.

[Bibliobeck]

Thanks Alice - you're right, they've been back within hours of me writing and have ripped the stuff right out of the bed. We have literally dozens and dozens of rabbits everywhere - looking into the garden in the early morning is looking looking down on bunny central and everything is netted, fenced or has drainpipe around it. But I can't work out how they are getting in to the bed - we've netted and pegged all around It's also safe to say they aren't at all phased by the spinning cds and wind chime



As I grew all my plants from seed is it too late to start again this year do you think??

[Alice]

They're getting in under the net through any wee gap where's it not pegged. You're not to late to plant some things - carrots, purple top milans, lettuce and mixed leaves, radish, spring onions and I'm sure a lot more. I like your raised bed. Planning some myself. Good luck with the rabbits, I do know the frustration of that kind of pest.

[Bibliobeck]

Really appreciate the encouraging words Alice - I was feeling very despondant today and my face looked like this...

I'm going to persevere though - just got home from the DIY shop and I'm going to try pinning removeable trellis to the outside of the bed (technicalities are my husband's problem!) - they'll need a trampoline to get over that! Plus it should make it easier for me to remove & weed. Be interesting to see if it works anyway.

I'll say one thing for the little blighters, they can get into the net quicker than me...takes me about an hour to unpeg, unstake, unravel & roll back

[JennieAtkinson]

Know how you feel Bibliot - I have spent years fighting rabbits. We are absolutely over run with them. I now have an area which is totally rabbit free. * However, they can jump a four foot wall. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it.

* It has a five foot wall around it

[Alice]

Good luck with the project. You can keep them out. Roe deer can jump an eight foot fence but hopefully we have succeeded. Any further problems ,if you watch how they get out you'll know how they get in . It's hard when you're watching them eating everything but it does let you know where the weak spots are. Let's know how you get on and post a pic of those crops when looking wonderful.

[Bibliobeck]

Blimey Jennie - 4 foot! Hubbie's out there even now tinckering in his shed with bits of trellis, so finger's crossed it works. After your words of warning I've decided to continue chucking the netting over the top of the trellis anyway, if they do manage to bounce that high, hopefully they'll ping back off into the field over the hedge
Bouncy little buggers!! Thank goodness I don't have to think about anything 8' high Alice