They have eaten my peas, kale, all manner of greens, and even ate the top off a spicy pepper plant! I started many plants from seed and even switched over to buying the plants to try and make it this season. I suspect they're getting through the fence because it's not super tight.
It is not in my budget to electrify this year. Would 2' hardware cloth help? Money is tight so I don' want to spend needlessly, but the idea was to lower my grocery budget. I had previously gardened in Florida to both great success and a miserable harvest. I'm in IL now and bugs aren't an issue at all, but the critters are. Looking for any low budget, high success suggestions to salvage what's left.
by Significant_Ad_1025
34 Comments
Rabbits. The T key on my keyboard is faulty.
Oy vey
I feel like you should be able to reason with the rabbis, but the chipmunks will require a more forceful approach.
I think you could use some taller and smaller gauge fencing. Checking Craigslist and Facebook marketplace wouldn’t be a bad idea I’ve seen free or dirt cheap used fencing on there pretty often in the growing season
I used some simple natural rodent deterrent spray and it worked great. My carrots went from chewed up nubs to bug bushy green guys in a week after that. I’ll try to find a link
Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Spray Repellent, Invisible Wildlife Deterrent for Gardens & Plants, Ready-to-Use, 32 Ounce – Walmart.com https://share.google/w9PYdyp5QCDGVM3ka
Cheaper alternative to try before fencing
To actually be helpful: have you figured out how they are getting in? Are there digging sites around the outside of the fence? A couple suggestions:
Use landscaping staples to firmly fix the bottom of your fence to the ground to prevent them from wriggling under.
You may want to use some chicken wire or hardware cloth and staple a strip flat to the ground about six inches around the perimeter of your garden. It prevents tunneling under the fence. This video shows one method of doing this: https://youtu.be/LFNOtwskJvc?si=93F9xatAslqyVVVs
Your gate is probably a weak point (I know mine is). Make sure you are blocking the wiggle holes that naturally occur around the gate and posts. I wrapped chicken wire around mine and propped bricks or pavers against the gate posts from the inside for good measure. There is also a line of pavers sitting across the “threshold” of my garden, and the gate sits right on top of them when closed to prevent tunnelling. A flat piece of hardware cloth firmly stapled to the ground underneath your gate would also work.
Last but not least: just for fun, I went to Walmart and bought a few rubber snakes for a dollar each. I got them in garish colors so I wouldn’t think they were real and scare the crap out of myself. I dropped them outside my gate, and I haven’t seen any activity near the gate since. I used to see bunnies come check out the gate for a way in, but now they don’t go near it. I move it or re-position it about once a week just for kicks. YMMV.
Liquid fence or fox pee.
How are the rabbits getting in? Do you see any holes under the fencing? Seems odd.
I have a chain link fence and baby rabbits were able to get through it – older ones no. So, I went to the dollar store and got some really cheap garden netting and it worked like a charm. Might work if you can confirm how they’re getting in.
I also find it odd the pepper got attacked. I have lots of rabbits around me and my peppers & tomatoes are never eaten. Also, I find that pepper reminds me of mine last year when I had a lot of slug damage.
I have tons of chipmunks around too and they have never touched my plants so I’m not certain they are your problem.
Makes sense, since they control the weather.
Cayenne pepper solution is very effective!
Plant stuff outside of your vegetable garden that you don’t mind them eating. It honestly works for the wildlife in my yard. Bunnies love the clover and violets in my lawn, and it helps to have big perennials can handle a bit of munching.
https://chatgpt.com/s/m_68547c13113081919c6953ab82512812
I needed to see for myself.
I planted a ton of clover. Now the deer and rabbits sit 30‘ from the garden beds and munch on that. 🤞🤞🤞 so far so good.
Keep rabbis out of your summer garden with this one simple trick.
Oy vey!
On behalf of my people i apologize the rabbis are eating your veggies.
On a serious note, I think putting down blood meal scared the rabbits off from my marigolds for a while. The buggers are cute but will eat everything.
Just wait til the Catholics show up…..
Plant a rabbit garden.
Antisemitism hitting new heights
Your typo made for a very funny thread. No chipmunks here but many hungry squirrels who were causing problems. I’ve been dusting cayenne powder on the soil around the plants & it has been a successful deterrent.
My bubbe would be so proud to know what I use artificial intelligence for
https://preview.redd.it/87cp9o62ny7f1.png?width=1536&format=png&auto=webp&s=61445fc5edc91d282b9fb2b56aaed267fa3c0709
Sounds like the cat distribution system should know when there is a need for a feral or two wiling to be converted to housecats.
Mazel tov
I cut up bars of Irish Spring soap and create a soap wall all around my garden. I am adding soap every week, but it’s working. I have a ton of rodents im fighting against.
I had Rabbis one time in my garden too, I got rid of them with bagels and lox. Good luck!
L’chiam!
Funniest typo I’ve read all day!
Typical Reddit. Blaming the Jews.
That’s definitely not kosher! 😂
Put a non kosher sign up.
Ran to the comments as fast as I could 😂
Depending how much your plants mean to you, you could always handle the chipmunks with..force. Most modern style rat traps are very efficient at terminating a chipmunk in the same way, and they’re pretty quick to try something. It’s brutal but for us in a climate that only has 3 months of tomato growing weather, some years one escalates from the bird seed to the tomatoes and I can’t have that
Just wait til the mohels get to it
I hate when rabbis decimate my garden.