Oh, lordy, what have I started?? I swear, this thread is lurching off-course like Frankenstien's monster! ;) Larryw, thanks for letting me know your positive experience! I so did not mean for this to turn into a "how to keep rabbits out of my garden, I hate the little buggers" thread! Also, I can't help but feel that sometimes people don't read too closely! :) I mentioned this before, but I have a fence, the edge is buried properly. The mesh used for the fence is too large. Very small (like the size of a soda can to the size of a lady's 8 sneaker) rabbits squeeze through. They eat the veggies, notably the beans. I didn't like putting up the fence enough to want to re-fence with smaller gauge mesh. I made the fence because all the spraying, peppering, soaping needs frequent re-application. I'd rather be weeding, mulching, picking, and enjoying! There is a ton of clover in my yard. They still prefer to snip my beans if they can reach them. I live less than 4 miles from the White House- although I am free to bear arms, should I discharge one this close to this many houses, I will be locked up and unable to garden. (I don't think we have thought police yet, though, so maybe I can just decide like john suggested?) We do not have room for a dog (where's he going to roam? In the garden? No. Bad dog! Out of the Garden!)... and I have a ton of bunching onion seeds which I have no trouble sprouting. And thus, my brilliant(ish) idea!!! (Please note that all of the preceding was meant in a light, humorous tone... if I have missed the mark, I can only say that my power finally just came back on after being out for 7 hours and I'm freezing my buns off here.) Thank you, though, everyone for all of your input! Oh, and scarletdaisies- I don't know about the parasite thing, but I do know that generally speaking hunting season is only in the fall/early winter months. I thought it had more to do with letting animals have a chance to raise their young, but I don't really know. Cheers, all y'all! Sunni

A cat doesn't know the difference between compost and fresh turned soil. It's all a litter box to them. They won't dig into grass clippings, straw or wood chips, but they do make for a slug-fest. I put coffee grounds around the base of the plants that slugs love most and that does a great job of keeping slugs away - just make sure no leaves or stems are otherwise touching the ground. A study not very long ago showed that slugs hate caffiene. Not much of a stretch to figure they would feel the same about coffee grounds. It really does work. I find that cats won't disturb established plants. If you plant closely, and litter the ground with sticks (stuck into the ground randomly and at angles) until the plants fill in and cover open space, it really helps. Cats would rather go find a new place than to bother with the sticks. Kay.

Sick and tired of deer eating all of the veggies I have worked hard to plant, I am currently experimenting with a few things. I have found the following to be successful: --LiquidFence works, but you have to spray every other day, contrary to the label recommendations. --Expensive cologne/perfume misted lightly over the outer stems also works if you spray every day, but in addition to being expensive, you must mist every day. --I have devised a diabolic concoction that will repel deer and every other form of grazing wildlife, but you must use it only on the leaves and stems of the plant (NOT ON THE FRUIT!!!) Here's the recipe: In a blender, liquefy the following: 2-3 cups water 5-6 fresh Habanero peppers (hottest peppers known to man) 9-10 fresh garlic cloves 1-2 Tbsp vinegar 1 Half cup fish sauce (available at Asian markets - smells horrific!!) After liquefying all ingredients, strain out all pulp from the peppers and garlic, and pour into a spray bottle. Bingo!! Use gloves when spraying on plants -- this mixture is vile, and will cause extreme pain if accidently rubbed into the eyes or mouth. It's nasty stuff, but is guaranteed 100% effective. Application every 3-4 days (or longer) should be sufficient.

I find that there are some plants rabbits can't resist, like beets, chard, parsley, etc. I grow those on the roof of my garage in containers. But they leave most stuff alone. I think it's because I don't try to keep a pristine back or side lawn. I let the clover, plantain, dandelion, etc. grow in the lawn at will, with only the front lawn kept weed-free to placate the neighborhood, and the rabbits prefer the grass and the weeds growing in it to what's in the veggie beds. There have been a ton of rabbits this year--I saw lots of babies and juveniles earlier in the season (they're all grown now) and up to 3 or 4 rabbits grazing on my tiny .25 acre yard at a time, yet not a single vegetable plant has been lost to them so far. I'm not saying they haven't taken the occasional bite out of something here or there, but nothing significant. I used to run out and try to scare them off until I realized they weren't doing anything bad. So now I just enjoy having them around. So how much damage rabbits do probably have a lot to do with what's available to them. My parents used to live in one of those McMansion subdivisions with an overbearing HOA where everyone had impeccably manicured yards, and there were terrible issues with rabbits eating their ornamentals (they couldn't have a veggie garden). I imagine that people living in drier areas with less natural rabbit fodder would also have more problems.