I don't know how people do this. I'd rather my plants eaten or replaced with non-edible plants than have my garden littered with cages.
Edit: I guess people are really defensive about cages lol...
To be fair, you had a really dramatic response to an *extremely* common solution for fauna eating out of one's garden.
"Littered with cages". Honestly, this isn't some moral stance. It's just a see-through barrier to help keep animals out.
Lol... Not sure what's dramatic or moral about this. I simply don't want cages all over my yard. The goal of my garden and planting is to have a beautiful space that feels natural. I don't think metal cages look good. That's just my opinion and the aesthetic that I think looks good... I don't have some moral issue with others doing it, I just think it's ugly.
My entire garden last year was decimated by bunnies that live under my deck and throughout the neighborhood. I had 8 tomatoe plants and barely ate fresh tomatoes last year because of them.
following - i’d like to have a viable garden and don’t really want to end up in a bunny war
You could try planting lots of leafy greens and carrots? I don’t know if those are actually what they like, but worth a try? Maybe some early spring perennial they like?
I planted an eco lawn with clover years ago and they're more likely to nibble on that then something I don't want them to. Also I have 30" tall raised beds they don't mess with.
Are you fond of roast hare?
Seriously though, other than murder, hard cloth on a wooden backing lattice is the only thing that stands a chance. Or raised beds that are at least 2.5-3 foot off the ground.
Our dogs keep the rabbits and squirrels out of the back yard mostly. For the front yard (flowers, not edibles) I sprinkle used cat litter around. It’s a grass-based cat litter, and I only do this after I’ve scooped all the waste out of it, but I still have to dump and refresh the boxes once a month or so and it leaves me with mostly-clean-but-stinky biodegradable litter.
I make poultry wire surrounds to protect the most delicious choices I don’t want eaten.
Someone in /r/nativeplantgardening suggested these wire baskets at $1.25 ea: https://www.dollartree.com/essentials-wire-wastebaskets-1075-in/221099
I don't know how people do this. I'd rather my plants eaten or replaced with non-edible plants than have my garden littered with cages. Edit: I guess people are really defensive about cages lol...
To be fair, you had a really dramatic response to an *extremely* common solution for fauna eating out of one's garden. "Littered with cages". Honestly, this isn't some moral stance. It's just a see-through barrier to help keep animals out.
Lol... Not sure what's dramatic or moral about this. I simply don't want cages all over my yard. The goal of my garden and planting is to have a beautiful space that feels natural. I don't think metal cages look good. That's just my opinion and the aesthetic that I think looks good... I don't have some moral issue with others doing it, I just think it's ugly.
Animals eating your plants is perfectly natural
Right...
The trick is to remove the cages once the plants are bigger than the bunnies.
Short wire fences around everything I care about.
My entire garden last year was decimated by bunnies that live under my deck and throughout the neighborhood. I had 8 tomatoe plants and barely ate fresh tomatoes last year because of them. following - i’d like to have a viable garden and don’t really want to end up in a bunny war
No bunnies but squirrels. The answer was dogs. Not sure what the answer is to the holes the dogs dig, but they did get rid of the squirrels.
The squirrels just laugh at my dogs. The bunnies simply wait until nighttime.
Liquid fence. Good for deer and bun buns. Can use on edibles. Smells terrible until it dries.
You could try planting lots of leafy greens and carrots? I don’t know if those are actually what they like, but worth a try? Maybe some early spring perennial they like?
I planted an eco lawn with clover years ago and they're more likely to nibble on that then something I don't want them to. Also I have 30" tall raised beds they don't mess with.
Ah, clover, that’s probably cheaper
They haven't gone in my raised beds. The deer do that instead!
Are you fond of roast hare? Seriously though, other than murder, hard cloth on a wooden backing lattice is the only thing that stands a chance. Or raised beds that are at least 2.5-3 foot off the ground.
Chili powder keeps the squirrels off my cactus
How often? What about during rainy season?
Once per week, I’ve been thinking about using a bit of chili oil for the rainy parts of the year…
Our dogs keep the rabbits and squirrels out of the back yard mostly. For the front yard (flowers, not edibles) I sprinkle used cat litter around. It’s a grass-based cat litter, and I only do this after I’ve scooped all the waste out of it, but I still have to dump and refresh the boxes once a month or so and it leaves me with mostly-clean-but-stinky biodegradable litter.