How To Keep Rabbits Out of the Garden
While rabbits are cute to look at, especially as babies, they can really damage both your vegetable and flower gardens. It can feel especially frustrating when you go out to the garden in the morning to find that they have completely decimated all of your strawberry blossoms or tender spinach sprouts.
If you’re looking for how to keep rabbits out of the garden, I have some tried and true ways to keep your garden safe from rabbits.
What are the Signs of Rabbits in Your Garden?
If you think you have a rabbit problem but haven’t seen any with your own eyes, look for one or more of the following rabbit damage signs:
- Pea-sized rabbit droppings in small piles or scattered around the garden
- Young plants that are cut to the ground (both flowers and veggies)
- Bark of trees chewed up in the spring
How To Keep Rabbits Out of the Garden
If you garden, you’re sure to have some garden enemies. As you prepare for your garden every year, keep in mind that if you plant the rabbits’ favorite veggies and flowers, they’ll come for a visit. What do they like? Lots of your veggies and flowers.
Plants That Rabbits Love to Eat
You may wonder what the rabbits’ favorite plants to eat are. They LOVE fresh veggies from your garden. Bunnies will always nibble on these:
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Peas
- Beets
- Peppers
- Swiss chard
- Beans
- And more
Rabbits don’t just love your fruit and vegetable garden: they adore many of your beautiful flowers! Here are just a few:
- Clematis
- Cone flowers
- Nasturtium
- Petunias
- Sunflowers
- Zinnias
- Hostas
- Phlox
- Tulips
- Etc., the list is very long
If you plant any of these flowers and veggies, you’ll need to find ways to keep rabbits away from your garden. I asked my Facebook followers what they do to keep rabbits away from the vegetables, and got lots of ideas. I’ll share them below, but first, let’s see what plants rabbits hate.
Plants That Rabbits Hate
If you plant flowers and vegetables that rabbits love, you’ll struggle to keep them away from your garden. But you can plant some plants that rabbits won’t eat: herbs and flowers that are heavily scented and are known to be avoided by rabbits.
Here are just a few plants with a strong scent:
- Marigolds
- Lavender
- Sage
- Onion
- Leeks
- Oregano
- Mint
- Basil
- Columbine
- Delphinium
- Bee balm
- Lemon balm
- Catnip
- Periwinkle
- Yarrow
There are many other plants rabbits won’t eat, but these are a few you can plant right away while you research what else to plant.
So, How Do You Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden?
While it’s never fun to deal with pests in your garden, I hope you’re only using humane ways to keep them out of your garden.
I’ve heard of people using mothballs to repel rabbits from the garden, and I don’t agree with that method. It’s not only toxic for the rabbits, but they are harmful to humans. Please don’t use mothballs in the garden!
With that out of the way, let’s see what you CAN do to prevent rabbits from destroying your favorite flowers and vegetables.
1. Use an Electronic Rabbit Repellent
This is by far my favorite method of keeping rabbits away from my garden.
It’s an inexpensive, effective way to keep rabbits away, and it’s not harmful to anything in my garden: just keeps critters away (not only rabbits but also squirrels, skunks, rats, raccoons, mice, and so much more).
There are many models on the market today, but I prefer a solar battery-powered ultrasonic outdoor animal & pest repeller – it’s motion-activated and makes it almost hands-free (I prefer to move it around the yard occasionally to make sure I cover all areas).
If you struggle with unwanted critters in your garden and around your home, you need to give this a try.
2. Install a Rabbit-Proof Garden Fence
Probably one of the most efficient ways to keep rabbits out of your vegetable garden is to build a rabbit-proof fence around the garden. It doesn’t have to be too tall unless you want to protect your garden from deer, too. To protect against cottontail rabbits, your fence needs to be two feet high and three feet high to protect against jackrabbits.
Use chicken wire if you don’t want to spend a lot, but hardware cloth is probably better in the long run: just make sure you bury the bottom of the fence into the ground so that the bunnies can’t crawl under.
If you’d rather use an electric fence, place the electric wires at 3″ and at 10″ above the ground. If you need a budget option, electric fencing is cheaper than hardware cloth.
A similar idea is to use floating row covers at night (that’s when rabbits love to roam the garden).
3. Use Plants That Repel Rabbits in Your Garden
Rabbits love young, fresh, delicate veggies, but they don’t care much for strongly scented herbs and flowers as we mentioned above.
4. Outdoor Pets Can Help Keep Rabbits Away
Our beloved pets are very helpful in keeping bunnies out of the backyard. It’s not only the fact that they’ll chase the rabbits away, but the smell of the dog or cat hair and urine is enough to keep them away.
5. Remove the Optimal Conditions for Rabbits
Rabbits will only stick around places where they can take cover from predators, such as dense vegetation, piled-up garden refuse, and disorganized tools and containers scattered in your garden.
Keep your garden area organized and free of garden debris. Brush piles, leaves, rocks, dry plants, buckets, etc, make it easy for the rabbits to hide. Also, get rid of tall grass and low bushes.
6. Keep Them Away with These Safe Rabbit Repellents
There are chemical repellents out there that are probably very effective, but I personally prefer natural repellents that don’t harm nature.
- There’s a product called “I must garden rabbit repellent” – the smell keeps rabbits out and works for other critters too.
- You can also add used coffee grounds, eggshells, and banana peels around your garden, and it seems to work for some.
- Using ground black pepper can work, and it will keep ants away, too.
- Make a homemade repellent from water and Tabasco and spray your plants: they’ll nibble a bit, but stop once they taste the spice. If you grow hot peppers, you can use one of them instead of the Tabasco sauce. You can also use chili powder with the same result. Of course, you need to repeat spraying after heavy rains.
- Use a natural deterrent for rabbits and small critters, like PLANTSKYD (it saved a friend’s roses and tulips last spring).
- Irish Spring bar soap: cut the bars into 4-6 pieces, wrap a string around them, and hang them on your garden fence low enough at the rabbit level. You can also hang them on spikes near veggies. Or, drop pieces of soap into old socks and place them around the garden.
- Try an owl decoy: Rabbits are scared of owls.
7. Scare the Rabbits Away
Use an old hose to wrap through the garden: it works surprisingly well. The bunnies think it is a snake, and no one wants to share space with a snake. Or, just buy a few rubber snakes and place them close to your favorite plants.
Place pinwheels around your garden: the motion from them spinning and the sound will keep rabbits away from the garden. They will also scare birds away (this will save your tomatoes too!!!)
8. Catch Rabbits in a Live Trap
This might be lots of work for some, and fun for others. It’s not a one-time method, so it requires repeating periodically if you want to reduce the rabbit population, as new rabbits move into your garden.
If you decide you want to use this method, make sure you have a place to take your rabbits to, but more importantly, make sure it’s legal to do this where you live.
What bait should you use for your live traps? You have a few choices:
- Rabbit pellets
- Carrots
- Cut-up apples
9. Embrace the Rabbits
For some of us, rabbits bring a smile, and we just want to coexist. Rabbits are hungry too, so we might put food out for them.
Plant what rabbits want. Do it away from your garden, and you’ll be able to keep your garden safe and enjoy the little hoppers in your yard too.
We replaced the lawn in our backyard with clover, and bunnies keep congregating there, instead of raiding our flower beds and vegetable garden. As an added bonus, our backyard is alive with bees and butterflies!
10. Install a Motion Sensor Sprinkler
Install a motion sensor on a sprinkler near your garden. Anytime the rabbits get near, it’ll go off and scare them away. They don’t like to be sprayed, plus they’ll sense movement and scatter.
DIY Rabbit Repellent
You can make a homemade rabbit repellent from a few ingredients you’re sure to have in your house: add equal parts of the following ingredients in a gallon of water, shake well, and leave in the sun for about 2 days.
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder (or you can use fresh if you prefer)
- Dish soap
After 2 days, strain the liquid, add it to a spray bottle, and spray around the plants you want to protect from rabbits.
FAQ
Do marigolds keep rabbits away?
The theory is that the rabbits find the smell of marigolds too offensive and will stay away from them. However, this has not been proven as a foolproof solution yet. If you want to try it out, plant a few marigolds around your perimeter fence or near any spots in your garden where you have had problems with rabbits before.
Many people say they’ve had success in keeping rabbits away by planting marigolds around their garden, while others say the rabbits enjoy nibbling on their marigolds. It’s worth a try: even if the experiment is not successful in keeping bunnies out of your garden, you’ll at least have some beautiful flowers 😉
Do coffee grounds repel rabbits?
Rabbits find the smell of coffee unpleasant, so this may help deter them from coming into your yard for food or shelter. And since coffee grounds are natural and free, work some into the ground around the plants you want to protect. Who knows? You might be successful at keeping rabbits out of the garden.
Will vinegar keep rabbits away?
Vinegar has been shown to be an effective deterrent against rabbits because they don’t like the smell. It makes them uncomfortable, so it’s best to spray vinegar near areas where they’ve been digging or chewing on wire (be careful not to spray plants you want to keep alive). You can also try to place a cotton ball or a piece of cotton fabric soaked in vinegar and place it in a plastic container with some small holes to let the smell escape.
Learning how to keep rabbits out of the garden can be tricky, as a solution that works for someone else might not work for you. Just keep trying and hopefully, you will find the right method for YOUR garden!
A rabbit got into our garden and devoured the marigolds we had planted there. So much for that one.
Unfortunately, when there’s noting else, they’ll eat anything. Plant a patch of clover away form your flowers and they’ll get busy there.
I use Critter Ridder, which seems to help.
@Dave, I tried the marigold method as well. One year it worked. Following year I got the big beautiful African marigold variety and they were all eaten down to a nub. I suppose the type of marigold matters… This year I planted oregano and also sprinkled hot chili powder in and around young lilies to prevent the bunnies from turning my garden into a free bunny buffet.
Call for Yosemite Sam, he’ll get rid of those waskly rabbits for you. Just a little bunny humor….:)
One year I planted catnip along side the house for my cats. The cats could have cared less. The bunnies loved it. But the catnip didn’t like the bunnies. We found several smaller ones dead around it. I had no clue it was poisonous to them until I researched. @Sorrynotsorry
A shotgun works well.
Maybe for some, but not for me.
I wish I could shoot. I have no more pity for bunnies. They are eating all my peas , about half are gone. The expensive broccoli and cauliflower plants I drove all over 2 counties to find , they are eating those too. What is left i have under milk jugs. They don’t like the heat and are quickly outgrowing them. They are eating everything I plant , just too many of them.
I’m sorry you are having so much trouble. Have you tried some of the tips on this page?
@Betty, I plant society garlic in my garden, no more rabbits, they hate the smell, I love it
@The jack bull., I have a Red Ryder BB rifle that I use empty on the rabbits. Started by just shooting cans in my backyard.
Rabbits must have heard me cocking my rifle. I just walk out to my backporch cocking the rifle and they scatter. Never had to ever shoot BBs at them. Grass looks a lot better now.
Planted Lavender because the bunnies didn’t like it but I can’t keep the bunnies out of my Lavender. They are eating it all.
I must be the only critter lover here, and grows veggies and roses. I’d rather live with them, but of choose I prefer a garden not a yard.
As far as the safe trap, I do not recommend that at all.
You are trapping a prey animal and leaving it at night to he whim of predators. That situation can cause extreme injury and death to the rabbit. Im hoping that’s not the desired result.
There is a device called THE SCARECROW. similar to the one the author mentions above. No harm to any wildlife.
There are a myriad of beautiful plants that rabbits don’t like.
You can always test a few before planting.
I have my raised beds secured, but I share the bounty. I place a few leaves of romaine or red leaf or a few carrot tops tucked under the bushes late in the afternoon for the buns to find for their dinner.
Seems to keep them happy. And I enjoy seeing them playing in the yard knowing their safe.
Jill, I love bunnies and other creatures too. But we have a tiny backyard and very limited space to grow food for our family. I’ll check out the scarecrow you suggested 🙂
Clearly the author did not intend for that to be the “desired outcome.” Your comment is entirely condescending. Get off your high horse .
I used chicken wire the first time and watched rabbits slide through it in a hurry. Next time I used a small meshband stronger wire and buried the borrom ss suggested. It WORKS!
Ugh Bunny is already feasting on my freshly planted 14 blue salvias! We chose after last years’ coneflowers got chewed up totally. Also just planted lavender…. here we go! I have cayenne sprinkled so far, will use bone meal around perimeter, and buying a new supply of the rabbit scram. These are visible perennial beds in our yard, so need to keep nice looking. Thx for all ideas..
Wi have a very big dog and a beagle in a fenced in yard that are out numerous times a day. Two years in a row I’ve had a rabbit have her babies in my flower beds . I am getting very good at building fences around the nest so the dogs don’t kill the babies. So much for rabbits being afraid of dogs.
@Elaine, I agree. My dog is out often in the day and chases rabbits out of the yard daily. There are few places they can get in and out but they still do it. Their favorite emergency exit is a small hole in our fence that they have to jump into a foot off the ground. Sealing that up is on the to-do list, but I doubt it will stop them.
Early on I loved seeing the bunnies and I didn’t mind sharing some of what I grew but the foxes died and the bunnies became so prolific that my sand box, my grass and porch became unusable to my grandchildren because of the amount of bunny droppings. The bunnies ate my tulips before they bloomed and severed the tops of my new flats of flowers. On top of that I found out that bunnies can carry a disease that can be spread through their droppings which if it enters a cut or is inhaled by us when gardening can be deadly to us. I found out because it occurred in a near by county. It is not possible to guarantee your bunnies will stay healthy. How I feel today is the bottom line is that bunnies are rodents and although I still love seeing them, it is important to know to be careful to protect your health and living space by preventing them from feeling too comfortable in your space. Thank you for writing this article. May you be blessed with a healthy balance an may your kind hearts be blessed to stay healthy and well.
I put an electric fence up around my garden about 4 inches from the ground. It also helps keep the squirrels out too. Works great.
@Tom, has the electric fence continued to keep rabbits away from garden.carol year 2022.
My rabbits ate my mother’s marigolds when I was a teen. There was a lot of food available for them. They dug them up, and even ate the roots.
Moths balls, works good . !!!
They’d probably work, but mothballs are toxic. I personally wouldn’t use those in my garden.
It seems rabbits out smart all tactics
After a bunny ate alot of my sweet peas and gr.beans, I asked my beautician to save me all of the hair from her shop. I tossed pieces of human hair along the row of beans and peas. The rabbit has left them alone ! Will probably have to replace after the rain. Was told by Dirtdoctor.com to push hair down around the squash plant stems to ward off the vine borers, so far so good !
@Barb, did the hair actually work?
Ate the bark on my apple trees, magnolias and cedars. Bridal wreath and a couple of others, to the ground. I have lots they can demolish in summer, but I really need help in winter!
I planted marigolds all around my garden as i was told rabbits didn’t like them. I got up next morning to find the rabbits had eaten them all. Obviously doesn’t work
Yes, such is nature. Sometimes we just need to accept that one thing doesn’t work for everyone. There could be many reasons your marigolds were gone, including the possibility that something else ate them.
Lillies and bee balm are plants rabbits have not touched so far ( for a few years).
Black Eye Susan’s are on the list of flowers rabbits will not bother, well this year they have eaten a few already.
I use a spray of ammonia and vinegar and large container of Tabasco sauce which I spread around the gardens, still not fool proof. Always looking for new ideas.
The rabbits ate all of my marigolds
I planted mint outside my garden to detour rodents. Well, a bunny ate all ten of the plants.
Last year I made pantyhose bombs, old pantyhose stuffed with dog hair and then tied to sticks. I also spread dog hair around the base of plants that tend to be targets.
I also make rabbit tea. I have my first pee of the day in a gallon milk jug, fill the rest with water, cayenne pepper and crushed garlic. Let that marinate for a day and then sprinkle around the garden. I melt holes in the milk jug cap.
Nothing works perfectly but we had less rabbit damage then the year before.
In terms of plants that are supposed to deter rabbits, I’ve tried them all, and at some point the rabbits will get them too.