Gardening for bunnies

[Chelsea]

I’m hoping there are some gardeners around who can tell me their favorite greens to grow for bunnies, especially during the colder months. I’ve had really good luck with kale in the past, but I’m starting to suspect it doesn’t agree so well with my bunny’s tummy.This is such a pity, because he really loves it and it grows so well where I live year around. I don’t think other brassicas or spinach are probably the best idea. I’m getting ready to start a fall garden and would love suggestions. 

For reference, I live in the Pacific northwest. We very occasionally get temperatures up close to 100*F in the summer and temps drop down occasionally to the low teens during the winter. Most years we get only a small amount of wet snow that doesn’t last long. We do get a lot of rain.

[FloppyBunny]

If you have somewhere on your land that gets wet more often, celery is great. It likes water and last year it lasted through a lot of the winter. It froze a bit near the end, but the rabbits still ate it. There are different varieties of kale, maybe a different one would work better? I can’t remember which varieties I have, but my rabbit prefers one a LOT more than the other. My rabbit also LOVES clover. Lovage is another option too, but it’s basically a stronger version of celery. My rabbit prefers celeri to lovage, but lovage can get huge. Lettuce is good too, but since it gets hot where you live, make sure to get one that doesn’t turn bitter with heat. Where I live, there is only one type we’ve found that stays good, but I have no idea which type since we planted them all at once. My rabbit doesn’t eat the lettuce if it turned bitter. Carrots can be planted and picked through the winter. Our climates are fairly similar and it works well. Plant more than you need and leave the rest to be picked during the winter. They get sweeter, but it’s just a treat anyways. My rabbit also likes basil leaves.

[Azerane]

The thing that I found easiest to grow for Bandit was silverbeet (best if shaded in the heat of the day). I had trouble with most other things, lettuce and basil just run to flower and seed in the heat. Mint is an easy one though needs to be grown in a pot or it will be everywhere. Thyme and Rosemary are great though tend to be slower growing.

[Chelsea]

Thank you! Great ideas. I will definitely plant some celery, although my bunny only eats it when it is the only thing available. After some searching, I think silverbeet is another name for chard or collards? I will definitely try that. Clover might also work really well.

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