It can be hard to loop in the adorable wild rabbit with other common garden pests, but they can wreak havoc on a garden, particularly for edible plants like Raspberries. If you want to ensure that you enjoy your garden harvest, you will want to prevent these critters from eating the fruit. But, more importantly, you will likely want to keep rabbits out of your garden without harming them.
The most effective way to stop rabbits from eating Raspberry Plants is to add a fence or a cage, but you can also deter them through particular scents or other plants that rabbits don’t find appealing.
Will Rabbits Eat Raspberry Leaves?
Rabbits will enjoy munching on both the Raspberry fruit but also the leaves. Both components of the Raspberry Plant are edible for bunnies and an enjoyable treat for them. While you may not find Raspberry Plants on a list of plants that rabbits typically devour, they are highly nutritious plants that rabbits will eat if available to them.
While you may not harvest the leaves of your Raspberry Plants, this still poses a problem as the leaves are essential for photosynthesis, and without the Raspberry leaves, there will be no Raspberry fruit for you to enjoy yourself.
Will Rabbits Eat New Raspberry Plants?
Rabbits are particularly attracted to new plants and seedlings, as the foliage is much more tender and nutritious. Rabbits will enjoy your new Raspberry Plants, so you will want to keep them well-protected.
How to Tell If Rabbits Are Eating Your Raspberries?
Signs that rabbits are eating your Raspberry Plants can be pretty apparent as they will chew on any new growth, and of course, the Raspberries themselves will go missing as well. Rabbits are unlikely to dig up your Raspberry Plants, as this behavior is more typical of squirrels or other rodents, but they will mow them down over time.
Natural Ways to Stop Rabbits From Eating Plants
While every gardener can agree that rabbits pose a problem for your garden, you don’t need to resort to traps or poisons to stop them from eating your Raspberry Plants.
Fortunately, many natural ways will stop rabbits from eating your Raspberry Plants so you can enjoy your garden without harming the rabbits. In addition, understanding how rabbits forage for food and interact with their surroundings will help you adjust your garden accordingly.
How Do You Keep Rabbits Away From Raspberries?
If you want to protect your Raspberry Plants from rabbits, there are several natural ways to repel the bunnies without harming them. However, if food is scarce where you live, rabbits may become more desperate and will be more likely to persist if they are hungry, so you may need to combine any of these tips to determine what works best for your garden setup.
Make Your Raspberry Plants Inaccessible
While bunnies are stereotypically known for their ability to hop around, they generally stay close to the ground and will not climb or hop into hard-to-reach places like a squirrel, bird, or raccoon. So making your Raspberry Plants inaccessible to rabbits can be pretty easy to prevent rabbits from eating them.
Fencing and Cages
Fencing is the most effective way of stopping rabbits from eating your Raspberry Plants. Adding a few feet of chicken wire around your garden will ensure that rabbits cannot pass through. Make sure that the fence is sturdy and that the rabbits won’t be able to crawl under the fence to reach your Raspberry Plants.
DIY Plant Cages to Protect From Rabbits
One option to protect your Raspberry Plants from rabbits is to construct a cage around the plant itself. You take some hardwire cloth and roll it into a tube that you can fasten to the ground, providing a mini cage for your Raspberry Plant that rabbits cannot get into.
This quick solution is a bit more budget-friendly than fencing your entire garden. However, you may want to combine this with other tips we have listed here, as they may still be able to tip over the cage if their food resources are particularly scarce and desperate.
The other option would be to build a cage around your entire garden with either a gate for you to enter or that you can step into on your own. Ensure rabbits cannot get under the wire using wooden posts as the base.
This will take a bit more effort, budget, and planning. However, this is a highly effective long-term solution that will not just protect your Raspberry Plants but possibly other plants that rabbits may try to devour.
Raised Beds or Containers
A raised bed or a tall container will successfully keep rabbits away from your Raspberry Plants. There are endless options for raised beds or containers that you can use to pot plants that rabbits love.
Generally, rabbits will forage at ground level, despite their reputation for hopping around. Wild rabbits jump higher than domesticated rabbits, typically about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. However, depending on your environment, it may not be worthwhile for a rabbit to expose himself to predators.
Make Your Garden Undesirable
Limit Shelter
Rabbits are prey animals, so they are constantly looking for potential predators and will only forage in areas they believe are safe. They prefer a place where they can run and hide at a moment’s notice if there are any signs of trouble. With that in mind, consider your garden space and limit the areas rabbits may find desirable or safe. If your garden isn’t a safe place, they will look elsewhere.
Scents
Like all animals, scent and territory influence where rabbits will forage for food, if you spray areas of your garden with predator urine, that will tell the rabbits that your garden isn’t a safe place to live and forage for food, and they will not stick around.
Pets
While we would never suggest letting your household pet loose when there are rabbits around, having your pets roaming the space near your garden will naturally discourage rabbits from visiting, as their scent will linger. Rabbits want to avoid areas where predators are known to roam as much as possible, and they will find somewhere else to look for food.
Direct the Rabbits to Other Areas of Your Garden
If you don’t mind having rabbits in your garden but would prefer them to stay away from your Raspberries or other garden plants, you can provide them with alternatives, perhaps on the other side of your garden.
Plant clover, lettuce, or carrots for them in a different area in your space so they will munch on those instead of your Raspberry Plants. You may want to combine this option with others on the list in case they enjoy your space too much.
What Can I Put On My Plants to Keep Rabbits From Eating Them?
Many different natural remedies will deter rabbits from eating your Raspberry Plants that will not harm the rabbits or your plants. Rabbits are very sensitive to different scents and will avoid eating plants that smell unappealing. Here are a few options that you can try for your Raspberry Plants:
- Irish Spring Soap: Add some shavings of Irish Spring Soap to a drawstring bag and place them around your Raspberry Plants.
- You can also place onions around your Raspberry Plants, as rabbits hate their smell.
- Rabbits also dislike garlic, so you can place garlic around your Raspberry Plants or spray them with some garlic mixed with water (you will have to repeat this after each rainfall, and it’s recommended that before spraying your Raspberry Plants with anything that you test it out on a leaf or two first)
What is a Natural Rabbit Repellent?
Apart from scare tactics, plenty of plants will repel rabbits due to their undesirable scent. These plants will range from garden flowers to veggies to common household herbs. These are just a few great natural rabbit-repellent herbs and vegetables you can plant with your Raspberries that will repulse rabbits.
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Rhubarb
- Potatoes
- Summer Squash
- Leeks
- Tomatoes
- Mint
- Savory
- Basil
- Tarragon
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Parsley
Summary
With the wild rabbit population on the rise in rural and even suburban areas, you will want to ensure that your Raspberry Plants are protected. This will ensure you can enjoy the harvest from plants you put so much effort into growing.
The most effective way to stop rabbits from eating Raspberry Plants is making them inaccessible by adding a fence or a cage, but you can also deter rabbits by making your garden undesirable through particular scents or using other plants that rabbits don’t find appealing.
While rabbits undeniably pose a problem for gardeners, there are natural ways to stop rabbits from eating your Raspberry Plants without harming them. Protecting your Raspberry Plants from rabbits will involve a few adjustments to your space and garden to make it less appealing and direct them to more suitable alternatives.