What are the best bunny-safe veggies to grow in the yard? I'm trying to be a cost cutter and grow some of my own vegetables. They'd have to be grown in plant pots, though inside or out I don't mind. It's just, in our new house, there is no proper soil in the garden, it's all paved apart from where my mum wants a lemon tree! (Yay for lemon twigs for my bun! I'd make sure she didn't use pesticides or sprays!) What do you grow for your buns?

-bunnygirl 

Depending on the space you have, I think most anything can be grown. As far as potted plants, you might be limited to growing fresh herbs.

The major issue with growing vegetables for rabbits is that, unless you have an actual farm with several different crops in rotation, you won't grow anywhere near enough food to feed your rabbit for any length of time. My rabbits could finish off a pot of parsley in a day, so for me, weeks spent growing and watering a pot of parsley would not be worth my time. So if you do grow something, don't think of it as a way to cut costs, but rather as a fun "extra" you can do for your rabbit. You will still need to buy veggies each week.

Oh, ok Beka! Thank you for your help

I would go to a local nursery and ask them what they suggest - much probably depends on where you live, climate, soil, etc....and as Beka says, it probably wouldn't be enough to totally feed your rabbit but definitely supplement.

I've been "growing" parsley and cilantro. Once they get started, they grow like weeds, I had some back home I grew. They have already in a pot parsley and cilantro at my walmart grocery section, and I don't know if they are actually going to thrive so thats why I said "growing" Its def not enough to feed them, but its a nice treat to toss in some freshly cut herbs sometimes.

I have a couple of mixed pots of herbs, and I just pull a few leaves off a different plant every day, for the buns I also always have a pot of Oat/Wheat grass goriwng (AKA. cat grass).

You can grow almost everything in a pot! There are lots of sites dedicated to it! I've successfully done carrots before, you need a very big pot though

I have a windowsill garden as well as AeroGardens... in BOTH of my ventures -- basil, oregano, and thyme seem to be herbs that will grow WILDLY and take over your whole pot if you let it! And the buns LOVE the variety. I agree with Beka -- it doesn't save costs really except in the sense that rather than switching the buns salads up every once in awhile via the store we use the SAME veggies for them all the time (kale, turnip greens, and collard greens - cheapest around us) and then every coupe of days the plants get a nice pruning and the buns get some extra veggie treats in their salads! The parsley has been pretty good for us also! And if you wanna switch it up a bit -- my buns LOVE lemon basil which we also have growing! Along with the regular stuff..

Lettuce is easy to grow from seed. It grows best in the cooler weather in spring and fall and will "bolt" in the hottest months and taste bitter (not sure if rabbits will still eat it, but people generally don't like it after bolting). Spinach is similarly easy to grow and also likes the cooler weather.

All of the herbs can be grown in pots starting from seed as well. Some will live over winter (thyme often does) and some only like hot weather (like basil) so you can grow a variety that will do well at different times. Parsley and cilantro are especially easy.

 I agree with Beka though that it would be extremely hard to grow enough to feed a bunny without a lot of land. My pair go through 5 large heads of romaine and 4 bunches of parsley a week. Even with a couple 4x8 beds in the garden I can't keep up with that demand. It is definitely fun to give home grown veggies as a treat though! I especially like planting herbs because I use them in cooking all the time. Instead of buying a huge batch at the store, I can rip a bit off of my plants and give some to the bunnies while putting some in my dinner.

Ahh ok! Mums proud of me for planning everything, I told her I'd like to grow stuff at home for my bun as a treat and go to the local farmers market for all my veggies. And I'm going to steal a draw in the fridge/a shelf to either Rubbermaid bin store them (on the shelf...) or wrap them in daily amounts (in the draw!) Ooooh I'm so excited x

Sounds like you have a great plan!

Great plan for sure! It always gives me more faith in mankind when I see new bunny owners taking the time to be such good bunny parents!

Elrowhen, some of our romaines in our AreoGarden bolted also but the buns still munched it up! It tasted bitter to me but those little brats were in bunny heaven!

I would try some lettuce and endive (endive is a very easy grower) and herbs. I've had success growing cilantro, parsley and basil. Best to start all seeds indoor and only put them outdoors when they are well started.