Rabbit Garden
As many are with Covid I'm getting into taking care of my garden. It's all patio so mostly some pots and weeding for now. I am a novice lol.
I've been contemplating putting in a raised bed for bunny food, I grow some herbs inside and have a dedicated mint pot but I'm wanting offer them a bit more variety.
What sort of plants do people grow or harvest for their buns?
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What will the dimensions of your raised bed be? It will be possible to grow almost any bunny food, which you can buy, so the important questions will be what do they like to eat the most and what foods are currently more difficult for you to obtain, either because of the cost or because you can't pick them easily from the countryside close to you.Originally Posted by CarelessSquid07
I have space for a large one but havent picked one yet. I'm thinking of starting a small one and seeing how I get on with it before investing in something like a large vegtrug size.
Things they enjoy:
Coriander
Watercress
Romaine Lettuce
Thyme
Parsley but restricted to rarely
Things they eat but not big fans of
Mint
Basil
Rocket
Rosemary
Dill
It's mostly just what we get at the supermarket. I did used to offer a bit of broccoli very occasionally but before we lost Primrose we had to stop and I've not restarted.
So their greens are really limited. I do buy dried plantain and dandelion for them. And grow some grass for an occasional treat but that's it.
I feel like we're stuck in a rut with it so planning a bed for it seems like a way of getting out of it.
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Rocket (from seed)
Sweetcorn - cobs for me, green bits for bunnies, can grow other stuff underneath it.
Lemon balm
Corriander
Mint - lots of different ones available
Fennel
Strawberries
Carrot, beetroot & radish (from seed) - tops for bunnies, roots for me.
Peas & beans - all OK for bunnies. Grow up eg a wigwam of canes at the back & smaller stuff in front of it.
Raspberries - grow separately in a v large tub. Bunnies eat all parts of the plant.
Jerusalem artechokes - in a v large tub. Pretty flowers, leaves & stems for bunnies. Indestructable. Dies right down in winter.
If you get certain weeds, you can harvest those as well - pick the top but leave the roots (eg dandeions, chickweed)
I used to be ‘Jack’s-Jane’ but I have been logged out of that account and I can’t get back in !
I would definitely get the largest one you have room for. The plants will be easy to grow and I am sure you will have no problem filling it.
It's really too late to sow or plant now, but very early next year you could start to fill it up. I would get some plug plants, so you have some established plants and then start some others off with seed.
Thyme, Oregano and Lemon Balm are perennials and would do well as plug plants. I would sow some perennial wild plants eg Dandelion, Ribwort Plantain, Greater Plantain, Herb Robert, Common Mallow and Red Campion. These could all remain in the raised bed from year to year.
Coriander needs to be sown fresh each year. You need to get seed which states it's for leaves, not seed (Leisure is a good one). It also should be sown in the cooler months of the year, so Spring or Autumn, otherwise it goes up to seed very quickly. Parsley needs to be sown each year, although I have over-wintered some some years.
If you have room I would also consider a few Kale plants, so that you have something to feed during the Winter.
There are loads of other options, which are easy to grow, but ideally you would need to know that your bunnies would like them.
That's brilliant thank you. I've ordered the book too. I love books! So does Rodneyespecially the corners.
I'm planning now in the hopes of spreading the purchases out a bit and maybe getting xmas contributions from family.
I've started a hotbin composter in the hope of putting all the bunny poo to good use!
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You may be able to pick up some end of line / tatty looking herbs and fruit bushes cheaply now - the roots will be fine, and they will get a good start for next season. Most of these die back naturally for winter anyway, so you may get some bargains.
I've got Perpetual Spinnach in the garden atm for both me and the hoolibuns.
I've also successfully managed to grow two celery plants from the very centre of celery bought from the supermarket and plant them out. It's more leaf than stalk as not force grown but they like it just the same.
Like HouseOfRabbit, I've successfully rooted in water and then potted on middles of celery, savoy-type cabbages and, especially, spring greens.
The geeky one... Pronouns: she/her/any.
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