Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: pigeonpie on May 13, 2018, 14:26
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I've got a perfect sunny bank that is calling out to be used. Unfortunately we have so much else to do that it's not going to get dug over properly, or rabbit fenced any time soon.
I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of whether rabbits will eat courgette and squash plants?
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I could be proved wrong but the allotment rabbits ( >:() dont touch mine. The plants have a couple of proper leaves which are nice and rough before they go out, and get away with it. Everything else is fenced to keep the little blighters off them, but they just bounce on past the courgettes and squashes. I can see the muddy footprints on the surrounding weed fabric.
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Yes, in fact that's what the small rabbit in my picture is tucking into...
G&R
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If they are hungry enough, rabbits will eat almost anything. Plants that is. :D
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Hmmm, I'm wondering if I can make some kind of temporary rabbit proof surround...
Luckily I've had excellent germination so I've got plenty of spare plants to trial...
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In the late, great Marcel Pagnol's masterpiece 'Jean de Florette', M.Jean's rabbit farm was based around the long eared rascals tucking into an Asian member of the curcurbitae as their primary food source so (unless there are wily peasants cementing your water supply to stop 'em cropping) I expect the rabbits your way would munch their ways through a few courgettes, no problem....
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We have to fence our allotments due to rabbits, but I've planted squash and courgettes outside the fence and the only problem was them trying to tunnel underneath them. I think the hairy leaves puts them off. Not to say they won't have a nibble as they've done on my onions and rhubarb, but when other food is around I reckon you'll be ok.
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Really interesting that some rabbits seem to leave courgettes alone, and others tuck in merrily!
There's not a huge amount else for them to eat here (it's pretty much just rough grass and heather for miles!) so I'm guessing they might be tempted. However, as I've got some spare plants I think I'll chance it by putting a few in and seeing what happens.
Luckily my cat is doing his very best to catch and kill as many of the young rabbits as he can. He's also trying to eat his way through the whole population, he's now so fat he can barely get through the cat flap! 🙄