Humanely rabbit-proofing a garden?

[CluckyCharms]

Hi,

It would really help me out if people could post pictures of your raised covers for your gardens. I was thinking about doing hardware cloth supported by wood frame...with lids that could latch and unlatch for easy access (for me) to our raised gardens. We have rabbits galore where we live and I don't want them in our garden, eating my hard work.

Fair warning: killing them by any means is not an option.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

our dog keeps em' away!
Good Luck!

 

[CluckyCharms]

our dog keeps em' away!
Good Luck!

Our dogs play tag with them (and vice verse) ...crazy dogs.

Then again, most of the rabbits are the same size as our dogs. lol!

 

[wyoDreamer]

My husband made a grow bed for me so I could keep the varmits out of the garden. It is only 4x8 but stands 3 to 4 feet tall. All the sides come off so I can get into the garden to, well, garden, but the sides are covered in 1/2 inch welded wire mesh. This keeps out the gophers and ground squirrels as well as the rabbits and antelope. I was going to make two sets of sides, one just wire and the other with plastic covering to turn it into a cold frame for extending the season. I found out that at my location, I need the plastic covered sides all teh time because we are always windy.

I will see if I can find a picture for you.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

We built a walk-in framed cover for our entire veggie patch, because we are close to a National Park in Sydney Australia and the birds, possums etc demolish the lot in short time. You could do something simpler. We have added an extention - a wooden raised bed, with a simple frame up and across the top. Then throw bird netting over it. I pin it to one side and treat it like a curtian when I need to go in. Here are some photos of the main patch. Maybe we went further than you want to - but maybe it will inspire you too!

 

[GuineaHQ]

We have 3 cats and I think they keep them away

 

[GuineaHQ]

Love your pictures thats a big set up

 

[wyoDreamer]

Spikes Chooks - what is the purpose of the wire mesh on the tree trunk?
Love that set-up, do you have wire on the floor also to keep the digging varmits out.

We built a "growbed" for me garden in. It is a 3.5' x 7' and 8" high plastic raised bed from Sam's Club, set on chicken wire and landcape fabric, with a 4 foot high structure with removable sides over it. I need to keep out gophers, ground squirrels, cottontails, jackrabbits, antelope, packrats and mice. Probably a whole list of other things also. I also need to protect my garden from the wind so it doesn't dry out as fast. I'll dig up some pictures for you.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Good question! When we first moved here 3 years ago we were unable to take the tree down. It is a Liquidamber, exotic to Australia and causes us real headaches when the seedballs drop and millions of seedlings sprout. To make at least some use of it, the wire was placed and I grew snow peas aka mange tout in pots up the trunk.

The local bylaws have changed since and we have removed the tree at ceiling level. I might still use it for growing climbing veg - or my husband fancies doing a chainsaw sculpture. Now there's something I won't be watching while he does it!

Fortunately we don't have a lot of bad digging varmints. The main critters to keep out are the possums and there are many parrot-type birds here that can strip a tomato plant in minutes! Only once did something get in - a possum created a gap between two ceiling strips of wire, no doubt using it's own weight. It's damnage was obnvious the next morning and we found the gap and fixed it. That way we can be nearly 100% self-sufficient in veg and not harm any wildlife at all.

All good dun!

 

[CluckyCharms]

Awesome replies thus far, thank you very much everybody. After reading your replies I think we will go ahead and continue with the plan of making covers for the gardens. There are so many bunny rabbits in the area it's just crazy...lots of squirrels and quite a few opossums too.