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Home > Archive > UK gardening > July 2007 > **** Rabbits
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| Jeanne Stockdale 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
| For the second time in less than a month, I have planted out some 20
cabbages and carefully netted over and around them but the rabbits have had
the lot. Add to that the problems with the weather, and our veg patch is
looking very sorry.
A friend solved the rabbit problem by putting close mesh wire fencing round
his patch and instead of burying it in the soil (where they will just burrow
underneath anyway), he has left it about 2-3" above ground. That way, they
don't know to burrow and try to just go under the fence and get zapped. It
works for him but as our veg patch is against the glasshouse, I am not sure
we can do the same.
So my question is - what veg won't rabbits go for? Our sweetcorn, onions and
broad beans seem to be intact but runner beans, peas, carrots, parsnips,
celery and lettuce have all been "rabbitted" - some worse than others.
Jeanne
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| David \(Normandy\) 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
|
" Jeanne Stockdale" <peter.jeanne@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:cbqdnddM1dp9kTvbnZ2dnUVZ8tOmnZ2d@bt.com...
> For the second time in less than a month, I have planted out some 20
> cabbages and carefully netted over and around them but the rabbits have
> had the lot. Add to that the problems with the weather, and our veg patch
> is looking very sorry.
>
> A friend solved the rabbit problem by putting close mesh wire fencing
> round his patch and instead of burying it in the soil (where they will
> just burrow underneath anyway), he has left it about 2-3" above ground.
> That way, they don't know to burrow and try to just go under the fence and
> get zapped. It works for him but as our veg patch is against the
> glasshouse, I am not sure we can do the same.
>
> So my question is - what veg won't rabbits go for? Our sweetcorn, onions
> and broad beans seem to be intact but runner beans, peas, carrots,
> parsnips, celery and lettuce have all been "rabbitted" - some worse than
> others.
>
> Jeanne
>
I think it depends how hungry they are. Given the circumstances they will
eat any plants - including stripping bark off fruit trees! I put in some
mesh buried about a foot to 18 inches deep and bent outwards like a capital
letter L. So far no rabbits have got in despite having lots of them here in
open countryside. I think this is the only satisfactory measure against
rabbits.
David.
| |
| dominic Lucas 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
| In article <cbqdnddM1dp9kTvbnZ2dnUVZ8tOmnZ2d@bt.com>,
" Jeanne Stockdale" <peter.jeanne@btopenworld.com> wrote:
> For the second time in less than a month, I have planted out some 20
> cabbages and carefully netted over and around them but the rabbits have had
> the lot. Add to that the problems with the weather, and our veg patch is
> looking very sorry.
>
> A friend solved the rabbit problem by putting close mesh wire fencing round
> his patch and instead of burying it in the soil (where they will just burrow
> underneath anyway), he has left it about 2-3" above ground. That way, they
> don't know to burrow and try to just go under the fence and get zapped. It
> works for him but as our veg patch is against the glasshouse, I am not sure
> we can do the same.
>
> So my question is - what veg won't rabbits go for? Our sweetcorn, onions and
> broad beans seem to be intact but runner beans, peas, carrots, parsnips,
> celery and lettuce have all been "rabbitted" - some worse than others.
>
> Jeanne
In my experience, rabbits will eat almost anything! They don't like
strong flavours, so the onions usually get away with it. In the past
I've seen a few tentative nibbles, and that's about it. Why not create
an onion "wall" ? I've not tried it, but it might work. when I had a
rabbit problem (don't have it now) I just put up with it, as the various
measures made life difficult, and I really didn't want to look out on a
plot of chickenwire and stakes.
Regarding burial of wire, I am told that 6 inches is enough, but I've
never tried it. You could try a raised bed with a fence edge, I don't
think the rabbits will burrow down for something that's high up, but you
never know!
One year I put out food for them (shop rabbit food), and it seemed to
slow them down a bit, but nothing stopped them completely.
Good luck, I think though it will be a long battle, and they usually win
Hope it helps
Dom
| |
|
| On 24/7/07 15:28, in article cbqdnddM1dp9kTvbnZ2dnUVZ8tOmnZ2d@bt.com,
"Jeanne Stockdale" <peter.jeanne@btopenworld.com> wrote:
> For the second time in less than a month, I have planted out some 20
> cabbages and carefully netted over and around them but the rabbits have had
> the lot. Add to that the problems with the weather, and our veg patch is
> looking very sorry.
>
> A friend solved the rabbit problem by putting close mesh wire fencing round
> his patch and instead of burying it in the soil (where they will just burrow
> underneath anyway), he has left it about 2-3" above ground. That way, they
> don't know to burrow and try to just go under the fence and get zapped. It
> works for him but as our veg patch is against the glasshouse, I am not sure
> we can do the same.
>
> So my question is - what veg won't rabbits go for? Our sweetcorn, onions and
> broad beans seem to be intact but runner beans, peas, carrots, parsnips,
> celery and lettuce have all been "rabbitted" - some worse than others.
>
> Jeanne
>
>
Electric rabbit fencing.
http://www.electricfencing.co.uk/KeepOut.asp
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'
| |
| Broadback 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
| Sacha wrote:
> On 24/7/07 15:28, in article cbqdnddM1dp9kTvbnZ2dnUVZ8tOmnZ2d@bt.com,
> "Jeanne Stockdale" <peter.jeanne@btopenworld.com> wrote:
>
> Electric rabbit fencing.
> http://www.electricfencing.co.uk/KeepOut.asp
>
As David wrote there is no need to bury the wire mesh, just bend it at
90 deg in the direction of attack. A fence makes sense, there is no
other 100% solution. Even then you need to inspect it periodically and
keep it growth. Works for me, before I even had to put guards on small
trees as they love the young bark!
| |
| David \(Normandy\) 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
|
"Broadback" <wen@towill.plus.com> wrote in message
news:5gmkhdF3gtfliU1@mid.individual.net...
> Sacha wrote:
> As David wrote there is no need to bury the wire mesh, just bend it at 90
> deg in the direction of attack. A fence makes sense, there is no other
> 100% solution. Even then you need to inspect it periodically and keep it
> growth. Works for me, before I even had to put guards on small trees as
> they love the young bark!
The ate the bark off all our young fruit trees last Winter, killing one
tree, so now they all have protective guards on.
David.
| |
| Alan Holmes 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
|
"Sacha" <sacha@gardenweeds506.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:C2CBD627.539A6%sacha@gardenweeds506.fsnet.co.uk...
> On 24/7/07 15:28, in article cbqdnddM1dp9kTvbnZ2dnUVZ8tOmnZ2d@bt.com,
> "Jeanne Stockdale" <peter.jeanne@btopenworld.com> wrote:
>
> Electric rabbit fencing.
> http://www.electricfencing.co.uk/KeepOut.asp
I hope the voltage is high enough to kill the beggars!
| |
| Les Hemmings 2007-07-24, 1:25 pm |
| Jeanne Stockdale wrote:
> For the second time in less than a month, I have planted out some 20
> cabbages and carefully netted over and around them but the rabbits
> have had the lot. Add to that the problems with the weather, and our
> veg patch is looking very sorry.
>
Air rifle at dawn? They really are very tasty you know! Rabbit is one of
the leanest, nicest flavoured meats I know of.
Les
--
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.
"These people believe the souls of fried space aliens inhabit their
bodies and hold soup cans to get rid of them. I should care what they
think?"...Valerie Emmanuel
Les Hemmings a.a #2251 SA
| |
|
| Alan Holmes <alan_holmes@nowhere.com> writes
>
>"Sacha" <sacha@gardenweeds506.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:C2CBD627.539A6%sacha@gardenweeds506.fsnet.co.uk...
>
>I hope the voltage is high enough to kill the beggars!
>
>
In the immediate post-war period, my mother erected an electric
mini-fence to protect her laboratory windowsill salad crops. Her boss
(an eminent scientist) giggled at the 'beware - electric fence' sign,
said ' is it really?' and prodded it with a finger ... :-)
--
Kay
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| Alan Holmes 2007-07-24, 5:25 pm |
|
"K" <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:Pqq5x+BJ5ipGFwo6@scarboro.demon.co.uk...
> Alan Holmes <alan_holmes@nowhere.com> writes
> In the immediate post-war period, my mother erected an electric mini-fence
> to protect her laboratory windowsill salad crops. Her boss (an eminent
> scientist) giggled at the 'beware - electric fence' sign, said ' is it
> really?' and prodded it with a finger ... :-)
ROTFL
| |
| Alan Holmes 2007-07-24, 5:25 pm |
|
"Les Hemmings" <les.frontalclaire@lobesvirgin.net> wrote in message
news:5gmo7tF3fhtplU1@mid.individual.net...
> Jeanne Stockdale wrote:
>
> Air rifle at dawn? They really are very tasty you know! Rabbit is one of
> the leanest, nicest flavoured meats I know of.
I'll second that!
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| Broadback 2007-07-25, 1:25 pm |
| Alan Holmes wrote:
> "Les Hemmings" <les.frontalclaire@lobesvirgin.net> wrote in message
> news:5gmo7tF3fhtplU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> I'll second that!
>
>
I agree, however it is impossible to protect your crops that way. The
b*ggers breed faster than you can shoot them.
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