If you are planning to, or have already, planted a backyard garden you may be thinking about all the delicious greens and veggies that are soon to come.
Unfortunately, your domestic rabbit, and any local wild rabbits, are too.
So just what plants do rabbits eat in the garden? And How can you keep your garden safe from rabbits? And What are natural ways to rabbit-proof your garden? These are all questions and topics we will cover in this post, so read on!
Rabbits In The Garden: What Do Rabbits Eat
Rabbits are natural herbivores, and unlike other small herbivore mammals, they require large amounts of fibrous plant material to keep their digestive system, and entire bodily system, running smoothly.
This is why we always offer our domestic rabbits unlimited amounts of hay and why wild rabbits are always foraging for grasses, shrubs, and other fibrous foodstuff.
But rabbits don’t and won’t only eat hay because, just like you and me, rabbits love treats.
Rabbits can and will eat a wide range of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. In fact, veggies, fruits and herbs are a great way for a rabbit to supplement their diet and enjoy a range of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
The most common garden items that rabbits enjoy include:
- Spinach
- Celery
- Kale
- Cilantro
- Carrots
- Green Lettuce
- Raspberries
- Squash
- Red Lettuce
- Parsley
- Sweet Potato
- Zucchini
- Blueberries
- Green beans
- Cucumber
- Mints
- Eggplant
For a better idea of the myriad collection of garden foods that rabbits enjoy, read our comprehensive posts on Vegetables For Rabbits, Herbs For Rabbits, and Fruits Rabbits Can Eat.
Signs of Rabbit Activity In The Garden
Some of the first tell-tale signs of rabbit activity in or around your garden are:
- Rabbit droppings – small, round, dark, and firm droppings scattered around your garden means a rabbit has been by to visit.
- Eaten Blossoms – when you see flowers that have been nicely and cleanly nibbled off, the likely culprit is a rabbit.
- Nibbled Leaves – Heavily eaten leaves are either from a local rabbit or a heavy infestation of insect pests.
- Signs of Digging – A local rabbit may dig in your garden or even try to make a den for themselves closeby. If you see signs of digging or a small den, the rabbit has moved in!
How To Stop Rabbits From Eating Plants
When it comes to keeping our domestic rabbits out of our garden, we have simply offered them a secured, open space to play and explore that is physically separate and distant from our garden. In this way, they are happy and content to be outside and have never gotten into our garden.
Stopping wild rabbits, on the other hand, is a different story.
When it comes to saving your garden plants from wild rabbits, there are a few tried and true methods that we have implemented over the years, with varying levels of success.
Fencing Your Garden
This is probably the first effective step you can take, as a well-built garden fence is a sure barrier to unwanted bunnies.
We used sturdy two-by-fours with mesh chicken wire to create a two-foot high fence around our garden.
Key point: turn the bottom part of the wire at a ninety degree angle and bury it underground: this prohibits rambunctious rabbits from digging into your garden!
We have found that a two foot fence is enough to keep the bunnies out while still allowing us quick and easy access to tend, water, weed, and harvest from our garden.
Plant Rabbit Repelling Plants
We have also implemented strategic planting of veggies and fruits within our garden, keeping some of the most rabbit-susceptible plants on the inside and lining the outside with herbs and plants that rabbits don’t always like, for example:
- Sage
- Lavender
- Chives
- Garlic
- Onion
- Marigold
Use Visual Deterrents
We have not been very successful with our use of visual deterrents to keep rabbits from our garden.
In our experience, using a ‘bird-of-prey’ deterrent works for some time but the fear and caution they cause in wild rabbits usually wanes. But maybe your experience will be different!
Natural Predators
We once had a garden right next to our barn, where our barn cats lived, and we almost never found rabbit sized nibbles on the greens and veggies growing there.
Because cats are rabbit predators, I think our barn-side garden was saved from snacking because our local wild rabbits realized it was within the territory of a potential predator and steered clear!
Make Your Own Rabbit Deterrent Spray
You can easily make your own rabbit deterrent spray by mixing plant essential oils (we have used thyme, rosemary, sage, and lemon balm essential oils with success) with castor oil, egg, and crushed garlic.
This homemade spray can be used on plants without fear of injuring them and has done a solid job of deterring rabbits from our own gardens, especially if there is a hole in our garden fence that we have yet to fix!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To What Plants Do Rabbits Eat In The Garden
Do Rabbits Eat Marigolds?
Yes, technically rabbits can eat marigolds, but the flowers are very bitter and we have found only two rabbits in our history of raising rabbits that like to eat marigolds.
As such, marigold can be a pretty effective insect and rabbit deterrent for your garden! Note that certain types of marigold are poisonous to rabbits and other critters.
Do Rabbits Eat Lavender?
Rabbits do not often eat lavender due to its strong aromatic quality and flavor.
In fact, lavender is a known rabbit deterrent and may be a great idea around the edges of your vegetable, fruit, and/or herb gardens!
Check out this video for how to make a homemade, ammonia based, rabbit deterrent for your garden.
Final Thoughts On What Plants Do Rabbits Eat In The Garden
Rabbits enjoy just about all fresh garden veggies, fruits, and herbs, so if you have a front or backyard garden in the roaming area of wild rabbits, or your own domestic rabbits, know that the tender shoots and fruits of the garden are at risk of being eaten unless protected!