By *Bramble

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 09:47

... RABBITS? There are gangs of them every morning in my garden, and I really really don't want to plant out my peas and beans, leeks and lettuce with that lot queueing up! I don't have fencing down one side of the garden, and don't want to if I can help it, any ideas for keeping them out? Bramble xxx

Replies

By Biggles

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 10:12

Ooohh, not nice ! Some friends, 10 miles away have the same problem. It appears he has solved the problem by planting chicken wire about a foot deep around his veggie plot, the rabbits don't jump over what is above ground and can't burrow through. He lost his first batch of lettuce and other veggies to the rabbits. His second lot have been in for 3 weeks now and have not, yet, succumbed to the voracious beasties. He really couldn't think of any other way apart from sitting in the middle of his plot 24/7. Biggs

By Rob!!

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 11:06

give elmer fudd a ring Bramble!!!!

By John

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 13:02

Buy an airgun. That way you can have rabbit stew with your veg!!!

By Sue G

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 15:58

Bramble you can't be horrible to them, they are just hungry, can't you just put food out for them , well away from your veg, like next to your neigbours garden.

By *Bramble

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 16:55

I'm afraid putting food out will only encourage them, if my mallards and pheasants are anything to go by! The French farmers are complaining, in this morning's Times, that there's an invasion of rabbits there, they must be getting on the ferry! I think it's going to be chicken wire. They've eaten my overwintered leeks, and have started on the purple sprouting brocc, of which I've only two left now... I'm just waiting for them to learn to climb the fruit trees :-)))

By Honey

Re: Has anybody else got ...
21 Apr 2008 18:04

Oh Bramble... I'm afraid it's the only thing that will work. We did extensive research when we bought this place and the best advice was to bury the chicken wire 6 inches in the ground but have the bottom of the wire bending up towards the rabbits so that they can't dig down and under the wire. They dig next to the wire and when they hit the wire they give up. Our farmer has a rabbit/pigeon scarer that goes bang (like a gun) at random intervals, but they soon just return to graze. I would just put it round your veg patch. But if it's any consolation, it does work... when did you last see a rabbit running across three lanes of motorway?

Honey :-x

By Broomstick

Re: Has anybody else got ...
22 Apr 2008 21:31

A patrol of border terriers? xxx

Sorry, Bramble, to joke about it. It must be an absolute bind. But in all seriousness I had a couple of borders who terrorised the local bunnies! There were torn up carcasses all over the place. xx

By *Bramble

Re: Has anybody else got ...
23 Apr 2008 05:55

I'd love a dog, but that's a bone of contention at the moment ... and we've a field full of sheep next door
so I couldn't exactly expect the dog to chase rabbilts
and leave the lambs alone :-)))
We've fenced off a plot for the broad beans, I'm just
making a cup of tea and spying to see if the little vandals are out yet, though what I'll do if they're there I don't know - apart from running down the garden en deshabille waving my arms about which will get me locked up :-)))
Bramble xxx