Bunny Gardening for Beginners
One of the great things about owning a pet rabbit is that you can
grow a lot of their food yourself in a backyard garden. In fact, you
don’t have to be a master gardener or own a huge plot of land to grow a
few of your bunny’s favorites.
Container Gardening
If you’re new to the gardening world or have limited space, a great
way to grow vegetables is in containers. You can build a 4×4-foot raised
bed fairly economically using planks of untreated pine. You could even
use scrap wood. But you have to make sure that the wood you choose is
free of chemicals that can leach into the soil. In addition to raised
beds, you can grow a lot of plants in pots. The key to container
gardening is making sure you use a good potting mix that provides
essential nutrients, aeration, and moisture control.
Lettuce
Lettuce is fairly easy to grow. You can direct seed lettuce into a raised bed, and you can grow several plants in a small space.
For head lettuce like romaine, you can grow four heads per square
foot. For leaf lettuce, you can grow as many as 16 per square foot. With
leaf lettuce, you have the added benefit of being able to clip leaves
from the outside and leaving the plant to replenish itself. With head
lettuce, once it’s grown, you chop the entire plant and reseed.
Lettuce is a cooler weather crop, thriving in temperatures around
50-60°F (10-15°C). They do best planted in the spring and fall. However,
you can find more heat-resistant varieties from seed banks like
SeedSavers.org
that you can grow all summer long. In very hot climates, you may want
to place your raised bed in a shadier location or construct a shade to
keep them cooler.
Bok Choy
Bok choy (aka Chinese cabbage or pak choi) germinates and grows
quickly. Direct seed bok choy into a raised bed in the spring or fall as
it is a cool weather crop. The soil should be loose and rich. Take care
to weed your raised bed so the weeds do not take vital nutrients away
from the bok choy plants. After about 45-50 days, bok choy reaches
maturity. Be sure to harvest the plants before the weather gets hot
because they will bolt (go to seed) quickly.
Carrots
Carrots can also be directly seeded into a raised bed, although it’s
best to use smaller varieties for container gardening. Carrots prefer
loose soil, free of rocks, to grow. Aside from thinning the plants to 16
per square foot and keeping the space weed-free, carrots are fairly
easy to maintain.
The Paris Market carrots seen here provide just enough of a treat for
rabbits. (Carrots should be given sparingly to rabbits.) They enjoy
the leafy tops as well.
Herbs
Herbs are great for containers. You can grow an assortment of herbs
like basil, oregano, mint, parsley, and cilantro that your rabbit will
love. Some herbs, like mint, are best placed in pots because they are
hardy and spread easily. Mint can easily take over a space if not
contained.
Dandelions
What can be easier than growing weeds? Growing dandelions is a snap.
Most likely, you’ll even be able to collect the plants and seeds from
your own yard (as long as your yard isn’t chemically treated.) If you’re
going to plant dandelion seeds, it is best to place them in pots so
they don’t spread to the rest of your garden, strangling out other
plants. All you do is take a handful of seeds, spread them over the top
of your soil, cover them ever so lightly with dirt, and then water.
(Dandelion seeds need light to germinate.) Before you know it, you’ll
have a pot of delicious greens for your rabbit to enjoy. And these hardy
plants keep coming back even after you cut the leaves down.
Some Tips
- Make sure you thin the seedlings, leaving only the strongest plant
in the allotted space. This allows healthy plants the room and nutrients
they need to thrive.
- Make sure the container you use has good drainage. Soil should be moist but not muddy.
- Alternating the placement of plants by square foot (so that you
don’t have all the same kind of plant in one raised bed) can help
prevent the occurrence of disease and pests.
- Plant crops successively for continual harvest.
About the Author
Abi Cushman is the proud owner of two mischievous agouti rabbits
named Coco and Cosette. She also co-edits the fun wildlife website
called
Animal Fact Guide.
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A relaxed rabbit will fully stretch out when resting, so your rabbit
hutch/cage should be wide enough to allow you rabbit to lie with its
legs stretched. This also allows for plenty of room to turn around.
Keep in mind the total floor area too, if your hutch is 2' wide, the
length would need to need to be 6' to make 12 sq. ft. total.
Rabbits stand up on their back legs to check their environment is
safe, and your rabbit's hutch/cage should be tall enough to allow this
without your rabbit being hunched over or folding its ears against the
roof.