7 Ways to Naturally Keep Rabbits Out of Your Food Garden

I love seeing wild rabbits hop along the driveway or across the grass when I pull into a property. They are so cute when they are holding food in their front paws and making their little chewing motions. Of course, it is not quite as cute when they eat the food plants or flowers on which we have spent time and money to grow. 

While bunnies will eat plants any time of the year, many of us are currently enjoying the food plants we planted this spring, and we all know how much rabbits like to dine on  spring gardens. So, here are seven ways to deter rabbits from gardens naturally.

1. Tall Garden Beds – My preferred solution for keeping rabbits away from my food plants is to plant my vegetables and herbs in raised garden beds. To be an effective deterrent, your garden beds will need to be at least 24 inches tall, but you might want to make them even taller to keep out more pests and make gardening easier on your body. 

2. Rabbit-Proof Fencing – Putting a fence around your plants or garden beds is another way to keep rabbits away from your food plants or the flowers they love to eat. Hardware cloth, chicken wire, or other wire fencing in an effective deterrent if you bury it about six inches into the soil and have at least 36 inches above ground. You can put a fence around your entire garden or just around the individual plants you want to protect. Some folks recommend using bird netting to protect their gardens from both rabbits and birds, but keep in mind that birds can get caught beneath the netting and become injured or die trying to get out. 

3. Garden Cloches – I love using garden cloches on my new plants to deter all manner of small critters who like to eat them. The problem is, a single garden cloche can be about $25, which is cost prohibitive if you have a larger garden. Since cloches are so expensive, I like to make my own with trash cans and splatter screens from Dollar Tree. I know that might sound a bit odd, but they work! I get wire mesh trash cans and splatter screens that have the handles in the middle of the screen. I then unscrew the handles to remove them from the screens and attach them to the bottom of the trash cans. You can then use the leftover splatter screens for drying herbs. 

4. Owl Decoys – I have not had success keeping any type of critter out of a garden with a fake owl, but other folks report success with them, so they are worth mentioning here. If you decide to try owl decoys to keep rabbits out of your garden, make sure to move it around occasionally or to get a more advanced decoy that moves. 

5. Repellent Sprays – You can purchase all-natural rabbit deterrent at garden centers or make your own with water, cayenne pepper, and garlic. These repellents can be effective, but they need to be reapplied regularly, especially after rain and after you water the garden. Irish Spring soap has a strong smell that rabbits (and rats and mice) do not like, so you could also try placing shavings in mesh bags around your garden.

6. Rabbit-Repellent Plants – You can also try planting rabbit-repellent plants, such as basil, mint, lavender, or marigolds, around the edge of your garden. This option can be effective, but it is definitely not foolproof. These adaptable critters may start eating plants they usually do not like or get used to the smell of plants that they once detested. So, this one might work for you, but you may have to give a few different plants a try or swap out your rabbit-repellent plants as they get used to them and they lose their effectiveness. 

7. Sacrificial Plants – Planting a sacrificial garden to share with your local rabbits will not work as your only deterrent, since they will just eat the sacrificial garden, and then head over to your vegetable garden to continue enjoying the bounty. However, it can work when used with other methods and is a nice way to still provide food and get to enjoy having wild rabbits around while protecting your food garden.