How can I start a vegetable/ herb garden in spite of rabbits and mice?

Question

We recently moved into our first home (lived in apartments before). I have always been sort of a frustrated gardener- I've had lots of container plants. Now that I have a HUGE yard, I want to start a vegetable and herb garden. The problem is, we have lots of rabbits that visit our yard every day, and there are mice in the field behind us (they come into our yard sometimes). I am an animal lover and do not want to poison, trap, or otherwise "get rid of" these animals, but I don't want them to eat all my veggies (or make the mouse problem worse). Is there anything I can do to protect my garden or discourage these animals from coming in my yard (I have a dog and a cat, but they still come in).

Any serious ideas would be appreciated.

Answer 1

One suggestion would be to plant Marigolds in with the veggies, they taste bitter to the rabbits and that will discourage them. Mice don't eat the veggies. I also plant more than I want so the rabbits can have some too without using up my portions. Beans should be covered with netting. They will eat the blossoms and you'll never get any beans. You can also plant pole beans that climb up on pieces of bamboo. You can make the bamboo in tent shapes and it will look beautiful too when the beans grow up on it and blossom. I planted Scarlet Runner Beans that way last year.

Answer 2

I was at a hotel at Disney in Orlando and as you can imagine they take a dim view of mouse haters, much less rabbits and stuff. Just walking around I saw several rabbits and a snapping turtle just wandering about during the day.

The restaurant did however offer fresh herbs grown on the grounds in the same place I was watching the rabbits. The only thing that kept the rabbits out of the herbs was a two foot high hardware cloth fence all around, high enough to discourage the rabbits, but low enough that the chef could step over.

The rest of the vegetation was quite lush so I don't imagine the rabbits got very hungry (and they were southern rabbits, so quite small compared to northern varieties). So I would guess that would be a first attempt to try at any rate,

I would bury the fence six or more inches underground and use rebar to stiffen it so they could not push it over, mice might climb over the fence but it will at least make them work.

Another tack is to use Coyote urine (they actually sell it at garden supply stores[ I can't imagine the folk who gather and bottle it]) All prey species are put off by it, suspecting a coyote to be nearby.

Garden supply stores also have wooden owls, that often have a similar effect.

Answer 3

There are things called 'live traps' that trap an animal, but does not injure them. You can use them and release the rabbits in a field or woods far from your house if they become too much of a problem. putting a chicken wire fence around the garden will deter they rabbits somewhat, but the may dig under or hop over a low fence.Try planting marigolds all around the garden. The smell chases the animals and some bugs away. Moth balls work also, but I do not recommend them if your pets have access to near the garden. Human hair placed around the garden in small net bags works as long as you replace it occasionally. I am told sheeps blood works well, but I have not tried that. I have a bunch of CD's (old, used, or the freebies you get in the mail) all around and throughout the garden tied to t-sticks with strings. The constant movement and the sun reflecting off the CD's chases away animals also, but not very effective at night. Another good remedy is to mix cayenne pepper and water and spray the leaves of your plants often, and especially after a rain. One nibble and the rabbits will go running. I really do not think you will have much of a problem with the mice. I have them also and they do not do damage to my garden. There are also environmentally friendly insectisides you can use for bugs. I really think you will have more of a problem with insects than the rabbits unless you have a LOT of them. With herbs, you can easily plant them in large pots and place the pots directly in the garden or on benches in or near the garden. They will sit high enough so rabbits cannot get at them. And the potted plants add dimension to a garden. Happy gardening! p.s. if your dog is outside on a regular basis, he will keep the rabbits away.

Answer 4

If you're going to try to have any sort of landscaping, you're going to get over that "get rid of" stuff. Oh, you'll still love animals and wildlife, but you'll begin to understand the need for population control. A few are wonderful, too many are destructive to all environments.

Your best bet is to build a fence. It'll need to have spaces no bigger than 2 inches by 2 inches. Bury the bottom of that fence at least a foot below the surface. Rabbits dig. And the fence needs to be three feet above the ground too. Rabbits jump. Gates need to have rubber flaps on them to seal gaps when they are closed. Or you'll just be creating a rabbit highway to your garden.

Mice will still come in, but if you don't raise any grain and store any grains and mulch in barrels, you'll probably be okay there. The best mouse control is to keep a wide open area, say ten feet wide all the way around the garden. Mown grass, gravel, a fallow area, anything that will leave mice who try to cross it exposed to the sky will deter them. Hawks and owls eat a lot of mice, and mice know that.

When the rabbit population gets out of hand, and they've eaten all your garden, your lawn, your shrubs, your trees, and are starting on the wood on the house, remember, rabbit is very tasty, low in fat, and easy to prepare in any way you do chicken - soup, stew, fried, roasted, stuffed, smoked. It's a traditional food of Native Americans, and your ancestors.

Happy gardening!

Answer 5

I bought an indoor herb kit online, unlike you i dont have a ext garden but now have a great little herb garden on my balcony. The herb kit i got was really easy to start my herbs and i got lots of seeds too, basically pellets which you just add water to and they become a pot for the seeds to germinate. I had the windowsill greenhouse on my kitchen windowsill and the seeds germinated within days...after a few weeks on the windowsill they were ready to plant into pots on my balcony and now my plants are flourishing. So if you want herbs in your outdoor garden that is a really easy way to start them off, the pellets the herbs germinated in stay intack as little soil pots which are held together by mesh so you just put them into your soil, easy and no mess. The best thing is it means that the plants don't suffer transplant shock which is one reason why germinated seeds then die quickly when they are re planted into pots or gardens.It is a good idea to start seeds off in a protective humidifying environment then plant them into your garden. Goodluck with whatever garden you have, i would love to have a big outdoor organic garden but am so happy to now have a mini garden happening on my balcony...

Answer 6

The one thing I did was to dig about 10 ins down and put up a small squared fence(small mesh) around my garden (rabbits like to dig) and also planted marigolds and any stronge smelling flower around the inside of the fence. Then I planted my vegtable garden. Yes I lost some plants but not as many as I did the year before. Who knows it may work for you too.

Answer 7

If you want to make a great herb garden. Rabbits and mice hate the smell of cat urine so if you have a cat u could put the cat litter in the dirt. They will definitely stay away

Answer 8

Why not start one in flower boxes, with chicken wire wrapped around it. That will at least keep rabbits out. As for mice, maybe set glue traps around the perimeter, baited with peanut butter.

Answer 9

rabbits and mice god made so it is OK to grow a garden and share besides they only eat a little...have fun I know it will look pretty.

Answer 10

put a gate or small fence around the garden