How do I build a bunny garden? This is a bunny gardening for beginners guide that will help you in setting up your first rabbit garden. As a pet rabbit owner, you can learn to grow your garden to act as a source of food not for yourself but your pet bunnies as well. You don’t even need to be a super gardener or have a large plot before you start growing one.
Gardening also saves you the stress and cost of sourcing food anytime you need to feed your pet rabbits. Plus growing a backyard garden is even a pleasurable activity that can be done at leisure time, so you cannot take from it its many benefits.
In this article, we will be discussing the following:
- How do you make a bunny garden?
- What do you need for your first bunny?
- Examples of plants for rabbits to eat?
- What can I plant for rabbits?
Read on to learn the ins and outs of running a successful bunny garden.
How Do You Make A Bunny Garden?
So how do you build a bunny garden? Since this is bunny gardening for beginners guide, we’re happy to tell you that making a bunny garden is relatively easy and you can even improvise with a few household items. Before you start your small garden, make sure you look for an exclusive space around your home, far away from anything that can cause a disturbance. This could be a small, uncultivated land space or just a quiet shed at the back of the house. Whatever the case, the same gardening principles apply to both. Bunny Gardening for Beginners
As a young starter, most likely working with a little space, the best places to grow vegetables are in small containers. For the bed, you can use a four x four-foot platform made from planks. Ensure the planks you use are made from untreated pine.
Another alternative is using wood scrapings. But whichever option you go for, always ensure the woods used are chemical-free. This is because chemicals from wood can cause damage to the soil from leaching.
Instead of using beds, you can grow plants in tiny pots. The key to effective gardening is the soil which is one of the most important things. Get a proper potting mixture, rich in the right nutrients, soil organisms, moisture, and air.
Other factors you need to consider when you build a bunny garden for it to work properly include:
- Pay attention to your seedlings. Ensure that you get rid of poor-performing ones to create space for the best of them. Good plants need more space and the necessary nutrients to flourish
- The soil should have an adequate amount of moisture content.
- Ensure that the containers all have a well-designed drainage channel.
- Separate each plant by a square root.
- Shuffle their positions to ensure that plants of the same species are not close to each other to help curtail the spread of diseases.
- Make sure you replace after harvesting to ensure continuity.
As a beginner, you may want to consider the following plants to build your bunny garden with:
Lettuce
This is one of the easiest and most stress-free plants to cultivate. All you need to do is plant the seed directly in the raised beds. The other good thing about lettuce is that you can cultivate many within a tiny space. Lettuce plants also do well in cool weather of around 10 to 15C, which is about the same temperature as a small shed.
Carrot
Carrots are a bunny’s favorite treat and should be considered when starting with your first bunny garden. The great thing about carrots is that you can seed directly into the bed. Carrots do considerably well in less thick or muddy soil, free of debris. They are also quite easy to cultivate.
Bok Choy
Boy Choy is also a great choice when you want to grow your first bunny garden. It is a type of Chinese cabbage that is relatively easy to cultivate. You can plant the seeds direct into the bed in the spring or winter season since they need cool weather to flourish. Bok Choy typically takes between six to seven weeks to fully maturate, making it a top choice for many first-time gardeners.
Herbs
Herbs do well in small containers. There are several types you can start with as a beginner to include parsley, mint, oregano, and basil. These are all rabbit treats which they enjoy so much.
What You Need For Your First Bunny
Before bringing home your first bunny, you need to put a few things in place to ensure your bunny has a comfortable stay. These may include some basic things required to meet the vital needs of your pet bunny and cannot be overlooked or avoided. Others may be considered optional in the grand scheme of things.
We have compiled a small list of those items you should consider before you adopt a pet bunny.
- A well-structured and spacious cage for their home.
- Cushioning materials for their beddings to include dry straw, wood scrapings, or even common household items like old newspapers.
- A large litter filled with beddings.
- A tray or bowl for their food and water.
- Adequate provision for fresh hay and grass.
- Toys for them to play with eg, cat balls, pet cones, etc.
What Can I Plant In My Bunny Garden for Rabbits to Eat?
When you build a bunny garden, consider rabbits need an adequate amount of food to stay healthy and strong. Also, their food must have the right balanced nutritional requirement, including water. Water is very essential to keep their bodies properly hydrated.
As a first-time bunny owner, your main focus should be to provide them with fresh hay all day. Fresh foods already make up about 90% of a rabbit’s diet. When thinking of what to plant for your rabbits, here is a list of great options to consider:
For Fresh Non-Leafy Foods, consider the following:
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Roses
- Pansies
- Celery
- Cabbage
- Zucchini squash
- Broccolini
- Bell peppers
- Hibiscus
- Nasturtiums
- Summer squash
- Brussel sprouts
- Chinese pea pods
For Fresh Leafy Foods:
- Parsley
- Cucumber leaves
- Mustard greens
- Spinach
- Radish tops
- Carrot tops
- Arugula
- Beet greens
- Swiss chard
- Sprouts
- Dandelion greens
- Frisee Lettuce
- Yu Choy
- Fennel
- Dill leaves
- Red or green lettuce
- Bok Choy
- Romaine lettuce
- Spring greens
- Turnip greens
- Escarole
- Wheatgrass
- Raspberry leaves
- Chicory
- Watercress
- Borage leaves
- Endive
- Mint
- Basil
- Radicchio
- Cilantro
- Mache
- Kale
For fruits to plant for your pet bunny, here are some great options to consider:
- Banana (Rabbit’s favorite)
- Peach
- Papapa
- Cherries
- Apple
- Pineapple
- Apricot
- Pear
- Melons
- Plum
- Kiwi
- Berries
- Mango
- Nectarine
- Beets
- Blackberry and raspberry
- Blueberry
- Gooseberry
- Grape
- Pear
- Peas
- Strawberry
- Swiss Chard
What Can I Plant In My Bunny Garden for Rabbits?
Below is a list of plants you can experiment with within your new garden to give your rabbits some variety.
- Bachelor’s Button
- Cockscomb
- Cosmos
- Gazania
- Impatiens
- Morning glory
- Nasturtium
- Pansy
- Petunia
- Rose moss
- Snapdragon
- Sunflower
- Sweet pea
- Verbena
- Wishbone flower
- Zinnas
Shrubs are known to kill rabbits if and when they consume their dangerous spring shoots. Below are shrubs you must completely avoid planting for your pet bunny:
- Barberry
- Multiflora rose
- Oakleaf hydrangea
- Forsythia
- Fothergilla
- Hawthorn
- Purple leaf sand cherry
- Common flowering quince
- Doublefile viburnum
- Eastern redbud
- Serviceberry
- Smokebush
- Winged Euonymus
- Japanese flowering quince
- Judd viburnum
- Rose of Sharon
- Sand cherry
- Witch hazel
- Juneberry
- Korean spice viburnum
- Flowering crabapple
- Lilac
Rabbits generally do not enjoy the following plants:
- Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa)
- Peony (Paeonia hybrids)
- Savory (Satureja montana)
- Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo)
- Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
- Meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum)
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Sedum)
- Speedwell (Veronica spp.)
- Four o’clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa)
- Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
- Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum)
- Perennial salvia ‘East Friesland’ (Salvia x superba)
- Primrose (Primula x polyantha)
- Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
- Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
- Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
- Geranium, zonal, and bedding (Pelargonium x hortorum)
- Mexican ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum)
- Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
- Wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum)
- Bulbs
- Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
- Hyacinth (Hyacinth orientalis)
- Persian onion (Allium giganteum)
- Vegetables and Herbs
- Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum)
- Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
- Spring cinquefoil (Potentilla verna)
- Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis)
- Spiderflower (Cleome hasslerana)
- Mint (Mentha spp.)
- Onions (Allium cepa)
- Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
- Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
- Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)
- Rhubarb (Rheum hybridum)
Hopefully, you’ve learned a few things from this bunny gardening for beginners guide. Continue to keep your pet rabbit safe and healthy using the tips and tricks we give you for free on this website.