ut 32 ounces of warm water over it. Allow the mixture to steep overnight. It may be preferable to allow the mixture to steep outdoors, as it has a potent smell! Squeeze the filter gently when removing it from the water, being careful not to rip or tear it. Pour the resulting brew into a spray bottle, adding a squirt of dish soap, which allows the spray to adhere to plants’ leaves. Spray the concoction liberally onto the plants that are most targeted by rabbits. This mixture will need to be reapplied following a heavy rain.
- Raised beds may be a deterrent to rabbits. A bed at least 18 inches high may work. Rabbits may nibble at the edges. Beds of concrete block or pressure treated 4 by 4’s make good raised beds. Out here they hop it.
Soon I will discuss our co-existence with the birds. Mainly the birds enjoy fruit as much as we do. The ravens enjoy raiding the chicken coop for an egg and will pick at and eat any area of freshly sprouting corn.
If we want to live up to the principles we hold dear as ecological gardeners and farmers, we will not destroy these animals. It is challenging to coexist on a piece of land, hoping to grow food and not kill hungry animals. We do not eat the squirrels and rabbits. Some of our neighbors wish to and that may play into their set of ecological controls. However it is not currently our way, so we have to continue to think creatively. Incidentally, cats and dogs do not generally kill the wildlife, although they may frighten them away, helping the garden grow somewhat more prolifically. Periodically a cat may catch a ground squirrel (the ground squirrels are very fast and very clever, so this is unusual). Rarely a dog will be fast and motivated enough to catch a ground squirrel. Larger and faster hunting breeds can, however, catch rabbits. Devouring the rabbit can be dangerous for the dog and it certainly does kill the rabbit. These aspects of such ecological controls are worth taking into consideration. They may or may not be suitable for you.