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Growing plants for buns?

capable

Mama Doe
Sorry, and please move, if this is in the wrong place!

I’d like to start growing more on my allotment than grass :lol: My buns absolutely love curly kale (which looks like it’s easy to grow!), but I wondered what else I could try?

I don’t eat many veggies, so no use growing for myself. I’ve plans for the allotment to be a flower garden, but would like to grow some ‘useful’ things for the rabbits as well. Any suggestions or tips?
 
Sorry, and please move, if this is in the wrong place!

I’d like to start growing more on my allotment than grass [emoji38] My buns absolutely love curly kale (which looks like it’s easy to grow!), but I wondered what else I could try?

I don’t eat many veggies, so no use growing for myself. I’ve plans for the allotment to be a flower garden, but would like to grow some ‘useful’ things for the rabbits as well. Any suggestions or tips?
Ribwort! Mine go mad for it :D

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Curly Kale would be a very good staple food and if it's only for the rabbits, then you won't need that many plants. They would need to be sown around now. The seedlings could then be potted on and then planted out on the allotment in around 6 weeks time. These plants would produce food for the rabbits until about May next year.

Perpetual Spinach could be given the same treatment as the Kale, although once you get a hard frost you will probably lose it.

Any of the Cabbage family would be OK, but you would need to check each type for when it should be sown.

I would set aside a patch for lots of herbs, e.g. Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Mint (plant in a pot and submerge in the ground to contain the roots or else it will spread), Sage, Lavender. Too late to sow these for this year, but you could probably still get some plants to put in. The Parsley would need to be replaced each year, but the others can be kept in the ground.

Have you thought about fruit bushes (if you eat fruit)? Things like Strawberries, Rasperries, Blackcurrants, where you get to eat the fruit and the rabbits can have the prunings each year. Maybe even a small Apple tree?
 
Ohh, thank you! Hadn’t even thought about herbs, but it’d be nice to have a separate bed for them.

I’d planned to keep a small bed just for kale :lol: I’ll have to work out how many plants and how much space that’d take up. An apple tree would be nice too, I’ll have to check our contract and see if we’re allowed trees.

I’d thought about salad leaves too, but wasn’t sure if they’d be too much like hard work/which ones would be safe for rabbits?
 
Salad leaves might be a lot of trouble and you might find that slugs are a problem. You could give them a try though. Rocket might be a good option or one of the Mustards. Either would be OK for the rabbits too.
 
If you joinin on the thread in general chat gardening 2019 quite a few members are growing things for their buns as well as themselves
 
Celery! I used to just grow them from the end of bunches I bought from the shop, I never managed to grow them very big though as my buns loved the leafy bits and kept eating them right down :lol:
 
We grow yarrow, lemon balm, ribwort, strawberry leafs, parsley, golden rod and marrow in planters for the bunnies

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Celery! I used to just grow them from the end of bunches I bought from the shop, I never managed to grow them very big though as my buns loved the leafy bits and kept eating them right down :lol:

good idea! I will buy some & see if Pepper likes it.... he doesn't seem to like much except grass.
 
I grow herbs, and there’s a lot of plantain and dandelions in the grass too, they love them. I’ll move this to diet and digestion for you :thumb:
 
good idea! I will buy some & see if Pepper likes it.... he doesn't seem to like much except grass.

All my rabbits have always adored celery :D I've never thought of growing it on like this though, but will give it a try.
 
Mint does well, and I think sprouting broccoli is alright too (I don't think you feed them much, but you can eat what's left). Strawberry, blackberry and raspberry leaves are always popular (as well as the fruit), and a little apple tree might go down well, if you have space...
 
I got these from ebay, Misha is fussy, so with this mix i am finding what she likes, she goes crazy for the vetch! and it grows so fast too, i got those seeds on their own now
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SW-Rabbi...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I grow Common Vetch too :D It's certainly very popular here. If you leave a few plants to go to seed, you can also use those seeds to grow some more. They poduce tiny pea-like pods filled with small, round, black seeds. Wait until the pod dries and goes brown.
 
good idea! I will buy some & see if Pepper likes it.... he doesn't seem to like much except grass.
My late Nethie Charlie didn't really eat much except grass and the odd dandelion if he felt like it :lol: Probably why he lived so long XD

Vetch is great but spreads very rapidly. Violets are awesome ground cover and very tasty. Fruit bushes are awesome. Mine love Jerusalem Artichoke leaves. Strawberries are always a hit (only the leaves, they're not so fussed about the fruits!), and Lopsy LOVES blackcurrants and leaves, although they're less fussed about redcurrant leaves and flowering currant leaves. Mallow, bush and plant, and roses are big with ours too.

They also like the weird hebe-like plant we've got and box (I hate box!) but we don't feed those, they just prune them!
 
I grow Common Vetch too :D It's certainly very popular here. If you leave a few plants to go to seed, you can also use those seeds to grow some more. They poduce tiny pea-like pods filled with small, round, black seeds. Wait until the pod dries and goes brown.

Great idea, she really goes crazy when she sees it!
 
Great ideas, thanks everyone!

I’ve got kale seeds sprouting now, and dug the plot for my herb bed the other day.

I inherited lots of cress seeds (polycress), but wasn’t sure if these were good for buns?
 
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