Humanely rabbit-proofing a garden?

[Oregon Blues]

The only effective way to deal with rabbits is to fence them out. I have discovered that they will go right through chain link and can go through the openings in a 4 X 1 1/2 inch mesh.

I've got 7 foot tall game fence around my garden, for the deer. Then a 4 foot tall poultry net is 2 1/2 feet up the fence and 1 1/2 feet laying on the ground as a skirting to prevent digging in. That stops the rabbits and the deer, but I still must cover the seedlings or the quail eat all the lettuce and spinach as it emerges. Also, the gate must fit very tight or the rabbits will squeeze around the edge of the gate.

 

[CluckyCharms]

The only effective way to deal with rabbits is to fence them out. I have discovered that they will go right through chain link and can go through the openings in a 4 X 1 1/2 inch mesh.

I've got 7 foot tall game fence around my garden, for the deer. Then a 4 foot tall poultry net is 2 1/2 feet up the fence and 1 1/2 feet laying on the ground as a skirting to prevent digging in. That stops the rabbits and the deer, but I still must cover the seedlings or the quail eat all the lettuce and spinach as it emerges. Also, the gate must fit very tight or the rabbits will squeeze around the edge of the gate.

Ugh, I didn't even think about all the spaces between the gate edges, and there definitely are spaces there. Thanks for the clue...this is going to be interesting. lol

 

[Mattemma]

It is amazing what a rabbit can get through. I ended up trapping and relocating those that find a way into my garden.

 

[stone_family3]

What about some hard wire cloth along the bottom of raised beds and then a 3 or 4 ft fence around the beds?

 

[mi2bugz]

I was thinking white picket fence around the garden area with 1/4" hardware cloth attached to that on the inside and 18" laying on the ground as a skirt around the fence. Does this seem rabbit proof? We have a lot of coyotes so deer don't come up to our yard but are abundant in the pasture. Not sure if I need to deer proof also. I just need to make sure whatever I put up doesn't take from the aesthetics of the house. Any suggestions that would be more feasible?

 

[offgridhermit]

I ended up triple fencing my garden last year. Rabbit fence didn't keep them out, then added poultry fence and that didn't keep them out, then added bird netting on the outside and staked it down.
I also built a cover for a separate planter box.