How To Protect Your Garden From Rascally Rabbits

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Several viewers have written to WCCO to say they have had enough of rabbits invading their gardens.

The good news is there are some easy ways to keep the jumpy creatures from chowing down on your hostas and herbs.

Richfield resident Margaret has waited a long time to dig into her garden.

"That delay in April was really something else," Margaret said.

But she is not the only one who is excited that spring has sprung.

"Last year these lilies all got eaten down by the rabbits," she said.

At Bachman's in Richfield, others had the same experience, too.

"They're a foe I guess because you worry about each one little plant," said Minneapolis resident Wayne Hendrickson. "They don't care, just a nibble and then they hop on to the next thing."

Bachman's has devoted a section of their store to that exact problem.

"It's a long season for rabbits, and certainly after the long winter we've had, they're hungry and ready to feast on the buffet, perhaps that we've just planted for them," Karen Bachman said.

She suggests a variety of deterrents. You can simply wire off your plants, or do what Margaret does: Plant soft-leaved plants and vegetables in raised containers.

She also says there are products that use pig blood, animal bone and urine, which will scare off the bunnies.

"It's natural, it's natural," Bachman said.

She also says you can plant some decoys.

"You could take a little portion of your yard and plant white clover, and they'll eat that first," she said. "If it's in an herb garden, you can plant onions or shallots and they'll gravitate towards that first."

You can also ward off rabbits by making homemade sprays with cayenne or ghost peppers. Bachman says changing up the way you protect from rabbits will help you stay ahead of the situation.

Click here for a full list of recommendations from Bachman's.