A rabbit proof garden is a garden where rabbits cannot easily get in, or where the plants they like are protected and the plants they avoid are planted instead. Rabbits eat lettuce, peas, beans, carrots, young brassicas and many flowers, and they do it at ground level, cutting stems cleanly and eating young plants down to the ground overnight. A rabbit can squeeze through a surprisingly small gap, dig under a fence, and return night after night once it finds a reliable food source. This guide covers humane fencing and deterrents only — no lethal advice — and explains how to combine them so your garden survives.
The first step is to confirm that rabbits are the problem. Rabbit damage is distinctive: stems are cut cleanly at a low height, as if with scissors, because rabbits have sharp teeth that cut cleanly. Young plants may be eaten down to the ground, and you may find small round droppings and shallow scrapes in the soil. Deer, by contrast, tear leaves with ragged edges and eat from the top down — see our deer proof garden guide if the damage is high up and torn. Slugs leave slime trails and eat ragged holes in leaves — see our slug control guide for slug damage. If you see rabbits in the garden at dawn or dusk, or find a burrow or a run through long grass, the diagnosis is clear.
Fencing: the only reliable method
Fencing is the only method that reliably keeps rabbits out, and it needs to be built for the way rabbits behave. A rabbit fence should be made from wire mesh with small holes — no more than about 2.5 centimetres — because rabbits can squeeze through larger gaps, and young rabbits can get through gaps that look far too small. The fence should be about 90 centimetres high above ground, and it must be buried at the base: dig a trench about 30 centimetres deep, bury the bottom of the mesh in it, and bend the buried part outwards away from the garden, so a rabbit digging at the base meets mesh rather than soil. Alternatively, lay a skirt of mesh flat on the ground outside the fence, pegged down and covered with soil, so a rabbit digging at the fence digs onto mesh. The fence must be complete: rabbits will find and use any gap, so check gates, corners and the base regularly, and make sure the gate fits tightly and is kept shut.
Individual protection is a good supplement to a boundary fence. A wire mesh guard around a young plant, a row of lettuce or a young tree protects it even if a rabbit gets into the garden, and it is often the most practical solution for a small vegetable patch. Push the guard firmly into the soil, make sure it is tall enough that a rabbit cannot reach over it, and remove it once the plant is established and less appealing. For a raised bed, a mesh cover over the whole bed works well, and it also keeps birds off seedlings. Our raised bed gardening guide covers raised beds, and garden fencing covers fence types and construction in general terms.
Deterrents that help — and their limits
Deterrents can reduce rabbit damage, but none of them works reliably on its own, and rabbits get used to most of them over time. Scent deterrents — commercial rabbit repellents, garlic sprays, chilli sprays and other strong smells — can make a plant less appealing, but they wash off in rain, they need reapplying often, and a hungry rabbit will eat through them. Never spray a food crop you are about to eat without washing it thoroughly first. Motion-activated sprinklers startle rabbits with a burst of water and work well for a while, especially when they are moved regularly. Motion-activated lights are less effective, because rabbits are active at dawn and dusk when there is already light. Noise deterrents such as ultrasonic devices have very limited effect: rabbits learn quickly that a noise with no consequence is not a threat.
Removing cover helps. Rabbits like to hide in long grass, brambles, log piles and dense shrubs near the garden, because they feel safe there. Keep the grass short around the garden, clear brambles and dense cover near the beds, and remove log piles and other hiding places from the edge of the vegetable garden. This will not keep rabbits out on its own, but it makes the garden less attractive to them and makes it easier to see them coming. Dogs and cats can deter rabbits, but a pet that is indoors most of the day will not, and a dog that chases rabbits can itself be a danger. Deterrents are a useful supplement to a fence, not a substitute for one.
Rabbit-resistant planting
Planting choices can reduce rabbit damage, though no plant is truly rabbit-proof: a hungry rabbit in winter will eat almost anything. Rabbits tend to avoid strongly scented plants such as lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, mint and onions; plants with fuzzy, prickly or tough leaves, such as lamb's ear, thistles and ornamental grasses; and plants with toxic or bitter sap, such as daffodils, foxgloves, hellebores and alliums. They tend to love lettuce, peas, beans, carrots, beetroot, young brassicas, pansies and tulips, so protect those with fencing, mesh guards or covers, or grow them inside a fenced area. Our guides for growing lavender, growing rosemary and growing lettuce cover the plants rabbits avoid and the plants they love. If you are unsure which plants rabbits avoid in your area, check your local extension service, because rabbit preferences vary by region and by season.
Protect young trees and shrubs even inside a fenced garden. Rabbits strip bark from young trees in winter, which can kill the tree, so fit a mesh or plastic guard around the trunk of any young tree, from the ground up to about 90 centimetres. Check the guard regularly to make sure it is not rubbing the bark or restricting growth, and remove it once the tree is established and the bark is thick enough to resist nibbling.
Living with rabbits
A garden in rabbit country will never be completely rabbit-proof without a fence, so it helps to accept some damage and plan around it. Grow the plants rabbits love inside a fenced vegetable garden or in raised beds with mesh covers, and fill the outer garden with plants they tend to avoid. Plant extra of the things rabbits eat, so there is enough for both you and the rabbits, or accept that some plants may be eaten in a bad year. Do not feed rabbits, because feeding them teaches them that your garden is a food source and brings more of them, and do not leave fallen vegetables or fruit on the ground, which attracts them. If rabbits are a serious problem in your area, talk to your neighbours: a fence that protects one garden but not the next will push the rabbits next door, and a coordinated approach works better for everyone.
Common mistakes
The most common rabbit proofing mistakes are building a fence with holes too large for rabbits, failing to bury the fence at the base so rabbits dig under it, leaving a gap at a gate or corner, relying on a single deterrent such as a spray, and planting rabbit favourites in an unfenced garden. Another is assuming that a plant labelled rabbit-resistant is rabbit-proof: in a hard winter, a hungry rabbit will eat almost anything. The fix is to fence properly with small mesh, buried at the base and complete, use deterrents as a supplement, protect prized plants individually, and plant rabbit-resistant species in the outer garden. A garden that combines all of these is far more likely to survive than one that relies on a single method.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop rabbits digging under a fence?
Bury the bottom of the fence about 30 centimetres deep, and bend the buried part outwards away from the garden, so a rabbit digging at the base meets mesh. Alternatively, lay a skirt of mesh flat on the ground outside the fence, pegged down and covered with soil. Check the base of the fence regularly for new digging.
What mesh size keeps rabbits out?
Use wire mesh with holes no more than about 2.5 centimetres across. Rabbits can squeeze through larger gaps, and young rabbits can get through gaps that look far too small. Chicken wire with larger holes will not keep young rabbits out — use a proper small-mesh rabbit fencing.
Do rabbit repellent sprays work?
They can reduce damage for a while, especially on a few prized plants, but they wash off in rain, they need reapplying often, and a hungry rabbit will eat through them. They are a useful supplement to a fence, not a substitute for one. Never spray a food crop you are about to eat without washing it thoroughly first.
What plants do rabbits avoid?
Rabbits tend to avoid strongly scented plants such as lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme and mint, fuzzy or prickly plants such as lamb's ear and ornamental grasses, and plants with bitter or toxic sap such as daffodils and foxgloves. No plant is truly rabbit-proof, so protect the plants rabbits love with fencing or mesh guards.
Will a fence keep rabbits out of a vegetable garden?
Yes, if it is built properly: small mesh, about 90 centimetres high, buried at the base, with no gaps and a gate that fits tightly and is kept shut. A fence with holes too large, a gap at the base, or a gate left open is not a rabbit fence. Individual mesh guards around prized plants add a second layer of protection.