How Illinois Gardeners Are Fighting Back Against Rabbits This Spring

Have you had a rabbit problem in past years that you'd prefer not to deal with again this spring and summer? Here's how to prepare for the war against rabbits now.

Spring Planting in Illinois

The other day I wrote an article about when experts say is the best time to start planting your garden and flowerbeds, and newsflash, it's not that time yet in Illinois.

The green light for planting doesn't typically come until around Mother's Day in Illinois, but March and April are great for preparing for the planting season ahead. For me, that means evicting our adorable, yet super annoying resident rabbit.

Illinois Rabbit Troubles

Rabbit troubles are nothing new for Illinois homeowners, but for the last year one pesky rabbit, (it's actually likely more than one), has decided the space under our deck is prime real estate, and my garden is its personal play space.

At first, my family loved seeing a rabbit lounging along the fence taunting our dogs, but then summer came and my rows of plants were being nibbled down to nubs.

Rows of marigolds and sporadically placed dog hair clumps in the garden helped alleviate some of the rabbit destruction, but we'd really love to have the rabbits vacate for good.

So, what can we do right now to give our garden a fighting chance in the weeks ahead?

Ways to Deter Rabbits

At the end of the day, I really do like rabbits. I just don't like my plants eaten and having my dogs constantly barking and whining in their never-ending quest to catch the rabbit. Thankfully, there are safe, humane ways to suggest this fluffy tenant move along.

Here are a few things I will be trying this year thanks to Garden Design:

1. Put up barriers. Our garden area is already fenced to keep our dogs out, but chicken wire with small openings buried at least 6 inches into the ground is one of the most effective ways to keep the rabbits out too.
2. Introduce scare tactics. The rabbits may not be scared of my dogs, but shiny, moving things like pinwheels might do the trick. Garden Design also suggests adding fake snakes and owls to scare them off.
3. Spray plants with a DIY deterrent. Rabbits hate the strong smell of cayenne pepper, so Garden Design suggests mixing 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of pure-castile liquid soap, and five cups of water into a spray bottle and then spray it on the most-eaten plants.
4. Add more rabbit-resistant plants. Rabbits typically dislike marigolds, geraniums, begonias, sunflowers, and snapdragons, so planting those throughout your garden space should help keep the rabbits out.

Hopefully this plan of attack will convince our garden squatters that our yards just aren't worth the hassle anymore. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.