Bunnies
Garden Clippings for July 9, 2022
Cute as a bunny. But for gardeners, there is nothing cute about bunnies.
Tulips are the first to be eaten, probably because there is not much else to eat early in spring. Overnight, bunnies will devastate a tulip garden, cutting off and gobbling up the entire stem, bud and flower.
Bunnies have only one mission in life, and that is to eat. In the middle of the day, bunnies remain mostly in their hiding places, but as soon as the sun goes down, they begin foraging on everything in sight.
For bunnies, the tenderer the better. Fresh, newly sprouted perennials, annuals and veggies are the primary target, followed by the new leaves of shrubs and small trees. In winter, when food is scarce, they love feeding on the bark of fruit trees and small shrubs. Burning Bush is a favorite.
Rabbits come in many varieties, but for Southwestern Ontario and all points southward, the Eastern Cottontail is most abundant. Strangely enough, it doesn’t like the forest as much as the city because it is in the city that they can have most of their culinary needs met.
The phrase “multiply like rabbits” is justified because rabbits reproduce quickly. In moderate climates, rabbits can have up to three litters a year, each with a minimum of 4 to 6 offspring. Babies become adults in 5 to 6 months, ready to have children of their own. Their gestation period is only one month.
With such rapid reproduction, it is surprising that populations are not higher. But rabbits don’t protect themselves well. They can’t run quickly so are easy prey for hawks and cayotes. And rabbits don’t have sophisticated secure nests, so are vulnerable to many pests including farm machinery.
Gardeners who want to keep bunnies at bay do not have an easy task. Ask the question to any old-timer who grew up on a farm and you will get a multitude of answers, none of them fool-proof.
No doubt, the best solution to keep bunnies out of the garden is a physical barrier. A chain link fence will do the trick just fine, provided you make sure there are no gaps for a bunny can crawl underneath.
My neighbour, who has been gardening longer than I have been alive, allows rabbits to roam freely in the garden, but has chicken wire surrounding the most vulnerable veggies. These include peppers, members of the cabbage family, beans, peas, lettuce and radish. Less attractive to bunnies are tomatos, garlic and onion.
Rabbits, along with squirrels and racoons, dislike the smell of bloodmeal and pelletized hen manure, and sprinkling these fertilizers around the garden’s perimeter may prevent bunnies from crossing the line.
Rabbits need shelter to protect themselves and their young, so reducing possible nesting sites will make the neighbour’s yard more attractive. Do your best to clean up brush piles, seal any holes under sheds and decks, and clean up the garden in the fall.
