Keeping bunnies away from my beans

20 years ago

I tried this last year, and it worked! I am doing it again this year, and my bean seedlings are thriving, with none nibbled to the ground!

Every year I plant pole bean tee-pees. I love fresh green beans, and they just look cool growing =) But, every year, the rabbits would come and nibble most of my plants to the ground. Last year, by chance, I found a way to keep them out with out clumsy, ugly net fences. When I plant my beans, I also throw in some morning glories. Then, I put a border of marigolds around each tee-pee, spaced about 8" apart. The rabbits won't go near them! Also, this does not work as well without the morning glories for some reason.

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garden_witch
Original Author

20 years ago

I know Chicken wire laid out like that will keep cats out, didn't know it worked for rabits too!

Oh, and here is a pic of my bean patch, just to give you a visual =)

Here is a link that might be useful: beans

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Comments (13)

BetsieLT
20 years ago
Bunnies are a problem here too. I always have to keep the beans (and almost everything else) covered with remay to keep them from being chewed. However I may have found a second solution, I was having a problem with cutworms and dusted my second bean patch with oystershells. Perhaps rabbits don't like grit, but they haven't attempted to eat any of those plants.
rocks23
20 years ago
another poster had said use chicken wire flat on the ground = box in your plants.
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Maggie_J
20 years ago
Those are great ideas - that way you can have your bunnies and eat your beans too!

We planted some alfalfa and white clover this spring in places where we wanted to improve the soil. There are so many cottontails this year we are practically tripping over them...but they are too busy munching the alfalfa and clover to bother the veggies. The clover and alfalfa do not seem to be harmed.

This was more good luck than good management...but I thought I'd pass it along.
chickenman2
20 years ago
fences don't have be ugly but they work well if installed correctly.
ecdc
20 years ago
I don't know if this will help, but our rabbit absolutely hates lavender. You might also try predetor urine or blood meal.
grammahony
20 years ago
Hmmmm, rabbits ate my neighbors lavender. I use Fox urine, and planted garlic among my lilies. Seemed to help.
Leslie
cici7
20 years ago
We are having a terrible time this year with cottentail bunnies and moles (i am guessing, maybe squirels?) i have lost all my little daisies after i had removed them from the terra cotta pot i had planted them in last year.. what was wierd about that is, i had the little 2 & 1/2 inch high pot on the ground under my young weeping birch.. and they grew out of the pot, thats why i took them out and planted them right were the little pot sat all last summer and about half of this summer... they were in beautiful bloom... and a couple of days later... they were all chewed down to the leaves.. and now there is nothing left of them AT ALL... i assume it was the bunnies... but why didnt they eat them when they were in the pot? they could still reach them...??? they also ate away some other little pretty flower i had bought at Home Depot (i cant remember what it was ) at the same time all of my tomato plants where chewed from the base of the trunk... they chewed clear thru and left the rest ... but only after they had reached 2 and 1/2 ft tall with blooms all over them .. i did save the yellow tomato by putting it in a high pot... again i am assuming its the bunnies.. and something ate all the peppers off of my cherry pepper plant.. and they were ready for picking.. i didnt think they would eat the hot peppers.. but something sure did... now we did have this rather large producing tomato plant and it lived on without anything eating it (except for those darn thornworms)and i went out last week and there is a huge mound right where the trunk was comming out of the ground.. and u guessed it the plant is dead... anytime i plant roses or vines or anything like that they get eaten.. what can i do??? i have got to do SOMETHING.. i have about 5 acres i want to makes a forest of trees and gardens and i dont want them to all be fenced in and raised beds... i also have about 660ft long x 25ft wide front easment i want to fill with bulbs of all kinds.. and i need to figure out something that will keep these creatures away from them ... and my vines and roses... i was thinking for the bulbs maybe making a cage out of field fencing for under the bulbs, with small wire handles on two sides so when the season is over i can just pull them up that way, but thats ALOT of wire .. any ideas? and is anyone having problems with wasps this year.. they are EVERYWHERE out here this year.. i hate them!!! they chase me all the time.. they are even making nests in my trees!!!! so when i go to pick fruit or put lights in my trees , my hand comes within an inch of them.. and of course, making them angry and then they chase me again!!! ok this is forever long so i will leave it at that and see if any of u have any ideas for me...(: would garlic planted keep the rabbits, squirels, and moles out fro eating my plants??? PLEASE HELP!!! (: THANX !
chrissy
garden_witch
Original Author
20 years ago
Ok, first, the tomato plants
>>>at the same time all of my tomato plants where chewed from the base of the trunk... they chewed clear thru and left the rest ... but only after they had reached 2 and 1/2 ft tall with blooms all over them .. i did save the yellow tomato by putting it in a high pot... again i am assuming its the bunnies.. Could it be cutworms? I have never heard of rabbits eating tomato plants, it seems that the plants would make them sick.

And the peppers you nentioned...
>>> and something ate all the peppers off of my cherry pepper plant.. and they were ready for picking.. i didnt think they would eat the hot peppers.. but something sure did... They are hot peppers, right? Most rabbits won't touch anything spicy. Maybe you had some little two legged invaders? I cought the neighbor kids out in my garden last year picking all the green tomatoes! It could also be birds. Birds can't taste hot peppers, and parrots and other tropical birds feed on them in the wild.

If your problem is this big, I am thinking that fencing would be the only way to go. It would keep most pests out anyway! Hornworms are another story!
Rosey99
20 years ago
you know all those free cd's we all get in the mail ?...hubby tied a string on one and attached it to a low hanging limb on my plants...no more bunny bites !..they were eating my small althias down to the grown...blooms and all !
soundgarden
20 years ago
Bunnies hate hair, so when you brush your hair, put the hair in your brush in your garden. My friend used to go to beauty salons and take their trash bags full of cut hair and put it in her garden. She said it worked.
madeline2
20 years ago
Soak string ( proper 'cottony' string --not propylene (must be absorbent) in creosote, and fix this on pegs about 6 inches high, round your bean patch. Rabbits won't cross it.Put some sort of markers to remind yourself that the string is there, otherwise you may -TRIP OVER IT (I did - and broke my arm!!!)
Dawncloud
20 years ago
I need advice on keeping rabbits away from my catgrass garden(I grow catgrass for my cats). I'm wondering if regular black pepper would work? Probably not...Currently I don't have any red pepper...any other suggestions besides pepper would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Keeping bunnies away from my beans

garden_witch
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Keeping bunnies away from my beans

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