songbird wrote:
phorbin wrote:
songbird says...

i think we could avoid a lot of bunny
damage here if i could convince Ma to mow
the little bit of lawn we have left at a
higher level so that more clover and
plantains would be left for them to graze.

The only way to avoid a lot(all) of rabbit damage is to exclude them.

we have fenced the area where we grow most of
the veggies. the areas i'm writing about are
those outside the fenced gardens. where i plant
all sorts of things and see what happens and
try different things.


The more rabbit food you have, the more rabbits you will attract.

within some limit as there are only so many
rabbits around. the hawks and feral cats eat
some. if i see too many at one time i'll
break out the air-rifle (i hate to do it) and


That's where you are wrong. The number of rabbits is potentially unlimited.
The numbers can only be kept in check by death and in practice that's how it
happens. Death by lack of food, disease or predators. Lacking these
exclude them so that these problems remain outside your domain.


In numbers, you can't count on clover and plantains to draw them
away from your desirable plants and vegatables or to satisfy them.

even if i can decoy them a little bit then that
takes the pressure off certain plantings. it's not
a all or nothing situation and never has been when
it comes to these outside gardens. most of what i
plant are dry beans or extra strawberry plants, some
beets, turnips, onions, green and wax beans, edamame
soybeans, squash, cucumbers, melons...

they have tons of alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil
available, along with some other spots of red clover
and white clover.

what i am hoping to do is to continue increasing
the desireable plants in the green manure patch to
encourage them to stay back there. perhaps also
would help to trim back different areas more often
so that there is tender new growth to tempt them...


A complete waste of time, once the numbers reach the limit of the 'nice'
food they will spread out from there looking for more and keep increasing
until they are limited in some way. Get a kelpie.

David