The Relentless Urban Rabbits
This has not been a good summer for vegetable gardening...it's bad enough that there has been a low yield with all the rain and lack of heat and sun, but what has been growing has been slowly and consistently chewed away by rabbits.
I recently posted on the subject of the explosion of urban rabbits this summer (click here to read it), and it hasn't gotten any better. A few nights ago I came home to see a rabbit calmly sitting in the middle of the garden gnawing away at what remains of a broccoli plant...and it didn't even run away initially...I had to stamp my feet (as if my neighbors don't already think I'm a little nuts). Thus far the rabbits have eaten all of the broccoli (two-foot wide plants down to stumps), most of the Brussels sprouts (they left the leaves for now but ate all of the actual vegetable), and have even eaten a pot of jalapeno plants...peppers and all! I've also noticed some suspicious nibblings on the red cabbage. Next year I'm going to be like some grumpy old man sitting on my front porch with a wine glass in one hand and a slingshot in the other.
I recently posted on the subject of the explosion of urban rabbits this summer (click here to read it), and it hasn't gotten any better. A few nights ago I came home to see a rabbit calmly sitting in the middle of the garden gnawing away at what remains of a broccoli plant...and it didn't even run away initially...I had to stamp my feet (as if my neighbors don't already think I'm a little nuts). Thus far the rabbits have eaten all of the broccoli (two-foot wide plants down to stumps), most of the Brussels sprouts (they left the leaves for now but ate all of the actual vegetable), and have even eaten a pot of jalapeno plants...peppers and all! I've also noticed some suspicious nibblings on the red cabbage. Next year I'm going to be like some grumpy old man sitting on my front porch with a wine glass in one hand and a slingshot in the other.
Comments
And yes, there are solar powered fence chargers available.
Thanks for your suggestions. The problem with an electric fence in my situation is that I live in a city and my garden literally touches the sidewalk...I'm sure I'd be arrested or something if a kid (or adult) happened to touch it. And no I'm not actually going to sit on my porch with a slingshot...though as I professional cook I can make a pretty good rabbit etouffee,
I was thinking along the same lines...next year though, sort of late in the season...but it does suck after all the hard work (not to mention cash involved) to let a good portion of your garden to get chewed away.