How to Keep Rabbits Out of the Garden & Yard

Wild rabbits can cause major damage to vegetable gardens.

Rabbits are just one of the wild animals that may snack on plants from your garden. To effectively safeguard your garden, be sure you know which animal is your top pest. Rabbits can only eat plants low to the ground. Plant damage done by a rabbit will have clean cut edges. The leaf will not look torn or jagged. One of the most effective methods used to keep rabbits out of the yard is a fence. The fence needs to be at least 2 feet high and needs to be buried below the ground. This stops the rabbit from digging under the fence.

Things You'll Need

• Landscape pins - metal
• Shovel
• 4 foot-high wooden posts - one for every 4 to 6 feet of chicken wire
• Hammer
• 3.5 foot-high chicken wire
• Staple gun

Instructions

1. Dig a trench. Use the shovel to dig 6 inches into the ground. Move the string as you dig. You will also need to dig 12 inches out from the garden. The trench should measure 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep around the garden area.

2. Install the stakes. Push the stake into the ground about 2 inches. Use a hammer to drive the wooden stake into the ground 4 more inches. Do this at 4 to 6 feet intervals around the entire garden or yard.

3. Install the fence. Unroll the chicken wire. Bend the chicken wire 12 inches from the bottom. This will make the skirt of the fence. Place the 12-inch skirt into the 12-inch wide trench. The top part of the chicken wire will be what is above the ground.

4. Staple the chicken wire. Use the staple gun to staple the chicken wire to the first wooden stake. Pull the wire taut as you work your way around the garden. Staple the chicken wire to every wooden stake.

5. Secure the skirt. Place a landscape pin around the metal near the end of the skirt. Push it down into the ground. Do this every 12 inches around the garden.

6. Fill in the trench. Use the dirt you removed from the trench to cover the mesh skirt. Cover the skirt with 6 inches of dirt.

References

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:Living with Wildlife, Rabbits
• Vegetable Gardener: Keeping Rabbits Out of the Kitchen Garden
• Our Ohio: How to Critter Proof Your Garden

Resources

• Common Garden Pests: Garden Pests