Repelling Rascally Rabbits

A friend of mine that planted a garden this spring had pretty much the whole thing wiped out by some raiding rogue rabbits. I have never had that problem, but I'm trying some of the suggestions below to keep cats out of my raised beds. I will let you know how they work. In the meantime, take your pick of any one of these measures and give it a shot. Be sure to let me know how they work! Post your comments in the box at the bottom of this blog. I have already tried Repels All granules (by Bonide) to keep the cats away. My cats didn't care. Almost seems as if my one cat doesn't have any sense of smell left! It's a mix of dried blood, egg, and garlic, and is supposed to be repulsive to a wide range of animals. I got it at our local Tractor Supply store.

Jerry Baker
The following solutions are from Jerry Baker. He is said to be America's foremost authority on lawn, garden, and plant care and has written over 50 books, including the bestsellers Backyard Problem Solver, Kitchen Counter Cures, and Supermarket Super Products! All of Jerry's books are jam-packed full of old-time advice, down-home wisdom, and the best remedies on earth. For more of his amazing tips, tricks, and tonics, visit his website at: www.jerrybaker.com.

Solutions
Rabbits HATE dusty millers, scientifically known as Centaurea cineraria. Especially the variety known as Diamond, which is one of the prettiest. Plant some of these among the vegetables that are at high risk. Also try planting onions or garlic as a companion to the victims. Tansy, rue, and rosemary are also repellants.

Dusty Miller var. Diamond

Sprinkle some dried blood or blood meal around the plants. Most garden centers carry this, because it is sold as a natural fertilizer. So you can use it to serve a double purpose. Shake wood ashes, ground pepper, chili powder, talcum powder, or Cayenne pepper on plants when they are wet, applying them evenly and lightly with a discarded kitchen flour sifter.

All Purpose Varmint Repellant
2 eggs
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbl. of hot chili pepper
2 Tbl. of ammonia

Put all this in 2 cups of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 3 or 4 days in a bucket, then paint it on fences, trellises, or wherever else unwanted varmints are venturing.

'Hit The Trail' Mix
4 Tbl. of dry mustard
3 Tbl. of cayenne pepper
2 Tbl. of chili powder
1 Tbl. of Tabasco sauce
2 quarts of warm water

Mix all together, and sprinkle the solution around your plants. Jerry says this spicy concoction will make any critter hightail it out of your garden.

Hot Bite Spray
When furry munchers are after your plants, whip up a batch of this timely tonic:
 3 Tbl. of cayenne pepper
1 Tbl. of Tabasco sauce
1 Tbl. of ammonia
1 Tbl. of baby shampoo
2 cups hot water

Mix the cayenne pepper with the hot water in a jar, and shake well. Let it sit overnight, then pour off the liquid without disturbing the sediment. Mix the rest of the ingredients in with the liquid and spray directly on the plants you want to protect.

You get the idea. Most of these recipes work because of the 'heat' of the hot peppers. Garlic really works well for most critters as well. I don't have a recipe handy right now, but you could just follow your instinct and come up with your own. Other ideas worth a try are to string up strips of aluminum foil around your at-risk area. Cut strips of foil 1 inch by 5 inches and tape them to a string of some sort around the perimeter of your plants. If you want to try blood meal, put some in cheap containers (spray can caps are perfect) sunk into the ground around your plants. In each cap mix 2 Tbl. of blood meal and 2 oz. water. This keeps the blood meal from washing away with the first rain, and also prevents your plants from getting a nitrogen overdose because of your critter control efforts.

The recipes listed here are not only for rabbits, but should work equally well for most other garden raiders such as deer, chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, and as far as the garlic and pepper goes, even dogs and cats! Let me know how they work!

Blessings to all!