# How to Keep Cottontail Rabbits From Eating Strawberries
One of the most frustrating things for a gardener to find are half-eaten berries dotting her strawberry plants. Cottontail rabbits are often the pests to blame for ruined strawberry crops. Strawberries are a favorite treat among cottontails -- and most rabbits -- so it is essential for any gardener hoping to keep her strawberry patch rabbit-free to protect her plants. There are numerous ways to rabbit-proof your plants. Make sure you choose the best method for you and your garden.
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Ruler
- Fencing material
- Burlap, wire mesh or hard-wire cloth
- Garlic or onion bulbs, or marigold, catnip, lavender, thyme, oregano or rosemary seeds
Instructions
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1
Pile dirt around your plants until you have created a raised bed that is 1 foot above the ground.
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2
Dig a trench 6 to 8 inches below the ground. Build a 2-feet-high fence around your strawberry garden from the trench. If you are using a bendable material, such as chicken wire, bend the top of the fence outward to deter rabbits from jumping over it.
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3
Cover the strawberry plants with burlap, wire mesh or hard-wire cloth.
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4
Plant a perimeter of plants rabbits dislike around your strawberries. Herbs such as garlic, onions, rosemary, oregano, catnip and thyme work well. Flowers such as marigold and lavender also work.
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Growing Berries
- How to Grow Strawberries in Tiers
- How to Raise Strawberries in Containers
- How to Cut Back Strawberries
- How to Keep Grass From Growing
- How to Keep Animals From Eating Flowers and Vegetables
- How to Keep Rabbits Away From Strawberries
- How to Keep Insects Out of My Strawberry Plants
- How Far Apart to Plant Strawberry Plants?
- How to Care for Strawberry Plants in Containers
- How to Keep Deer From Eating Blueberry Plants
- How to Keep Plants From Frosting
- How to Keep Primroses From Freezing
