What would you have as a must for a bunny garden

[ipoGSD]

Last year we planted; red leaf, green leaf, butter crisp, collard greens, sweet mint, basil and a strawberry plant for the leaves.

Im planning on having another garden for the bunnies again this year, but even bigger, just looking for other yummy healthy stuff to grow for them.. what is something you would definitely plant for your bunnies?

We also have purselane, dandelion and plantain that grows in the yard which we also pick..

 

[Zass]

It sounds like a great lineup to start.
My next go-to's from there would be comfrey, lemon balm, parsley, and oregano.

 

[Nymphadora]

I'm dreaming of planting a small patch of clover to let the bunnies loose on once in a while... I remember our neighbor's yard in Germany was filled with it, and the rabbits loved it!

Your rabbit garden sounds fantastic already, though! What about a handful of chives (supposed to help prevent coccidiosis?) or a raspberry patch (for expectant mothers)?

opcorn:

 

[alforddm]

Radishes, sweet potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, and sunflowers

 

[Rainey]

Kale, chicory, borage--in addition to all the things already mentioned.

 

[ipoGSD]

Radishes, sweet potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, and sunflowers

They can eat radishes and sweer potato??? Or do i offer the greens from the plant?? Sun flowers for the actual flower or seeds or leaves?? Haven't heard anything about feeding those 3 things..

 

[Zass]

Radishes, sweet potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, and sunflowers

They can eat radishes and sweer potato??? Or do i offer the greens from the plant?? Sun flowers for the actual flower or seeds or leaves?? Haven't heard anything about feeding those 3 things..

In all of those, the entire plant is safe for rabbits at any growth stage.

Sweet potato leaves are high in protein, and can be eaten by people when they are young and tender. Fresh young radish leaves can be added to salads too.

I see our climates coloring the choices we consider most important!
I mean, we know they are all great, but our personal go-tos are probably the ones that thrive best with the least effort in our specific environments. It's pretty cool when you think about it, because it could make selection by area so much easier. For example, sweet potatos struggle here, and might not be possible much further north, but kale would thrive.

 

[ipoGSD]

What about a handful of chives (supposed to help prevent coccidiosis?) or a raspberry patch (for expectant mothers)?

opcorn:

I do actually want a raspberry/blackberry bush cuz they are soooo yummy lol so that's a great idea!!! And i forgot that we also have wild chives that grow all around the yard. Ive tried to get rid of them but they keep coming back in other areas. When i pick grass for the rabbits id always weed them out oops!!

Also have access to 2 pear trees and a willow tree that i attack once in a while lol

__________ Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:50 am __________

Yeah kale is definitely one im gonna grow. Tho im confused as to how much to grow for them. Enough to feed daily or 1x 2x a week..

Some sites say its a food to not feed everyday due to high oxalates some some sites are saying its ok because it doesn't have high oxalates.

__________ Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:54 am __________

As for chicory.. is that the root you can grow endive with? Ive been wanting to grow endive.. it will grow in a cold basement without lights in the winter months.. <br /><br /> __________ Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:00 am __________ <br /><br /> See this is what ive been looking for but cant ever find the roots to grow. So if i grow the chicory.. that would give me the roots for the fall to grow endive... right??
Watch "How to grow chicory/endive at home (indoors)" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/VpHnbWFmvQo

 

[Rainey]

We started feeding chicory that we gathered growing wild along the roadside. (We live in a rural area on a road with little traffic so didn't worry about exhaust fumes) We feed it from the time we can first see leaves big enough to pick and continue until it blooms when the plant is more stem and not so much foliage. Then I think in 2016 we bought some seed for forage chicory which is used as a pasture crop and we put it into a bed with other rabbit favorites that we could cut from easily. With that, if we pay attention, we can cut often enough to keep it at a good leafy stage throughout the growing season.
As for kale, I've heard the warnings but also saw it listed as good feed in the Feeding Rabbits and Poultry on Scraps book that is mentioned in other posts here on RT. And Michaels4gardens, an RT member and great resource, recommends it. Now we feed them mostly the Dino kale he mentioned and we feed some most days from spring through late fall--but it is never the only green feed they get, just part of the mix.

 

[alforddm]

And if you have it wild, ragweed makes a great feed. I actually grow the stuff that and lambsquarters.

 

[Homer]

Cilantro is one I always have on hand for the buns. If you cut it with a knife just above the ground it keeps coming back too. I don't care for it but the rabbits love it.

 

[MeadowView]

My dream is to have a little patch of barley, which I'm hoping I can do as soon as we get our own property! Other than that, one I would love to grow would be parsley, just because I feed it to does within a few days of their due date to boost calcium, and I hate having to run to the store for it.

 

[Rainey]

Just looking back at this thread and see that you have a willow. Don't know that it is a must have or practical to plant if someone is just starting a garden, but our rabbits get it every day and it is still a preferred food. We have 7 kinds of willow and while they like some better than others, all are safe to feed and eaten readily if the favorite isn't on offer. We cut lots in May when the leaves are fully out but still very fresh and hang it to dry in the loft of our barn so we have it available year round. They eat the woody parts when fresh, less when dried. Then we cut fresh twigs from wild apple trees every few days through the winter.
So much depends on where you are--not just the climate but whether you have a neat lot or lots of wild area. We started with what we could gather wild and then have added some garden stuff because it's quicker and easier to gather on days when we have less time or energy to ramble and gather the wild stuff.

 

[Zass]

When I was thinking on calcium, I remembered dandelions were said to be high in it. A quick lookup on googled showed that they were even higher than parsley in calcium! So there is an option if someone wants to skip the grocery store drive.

Here, I'm lucky enough to have a grocery store only 45 mins away that sells fresh dandelion greens in winter, as I've had zero luck growing them inside over the years. I just buy them because, well, the rabbits like them, and they are good for bunnies. :lol: I can't help but spoil them a little when I get the chance.

Chicory is very similar to dandelion, but when I looked it up, google's handy nutrition calculator showed it to be quite low in calcium compared to the other two.
I suppose that it's probably referring to one of the domestic strains (witloof or endive) instead of the tough wild herb that grows on roadsides. The wild variants are *almost* always more nutrient dense.

ipoGSD, you can find seeds for the domestic chicory strains on ebay.

 

[ipoGSD]

Had a lonnng tiring day.. but will reply when im more awake lol

 

[michaels4gardens]

My "must have rabbit garden" Sugar Beet, J. artichoke [tubers and stalks], kale, corn [just stalks for long stem fiber] chicory, carrot, rutabaga. ***and the weeds that grow in the garden ie: lambs quarter, malva neglecta, amaranth, morning glory.

 

[Saturn]

Last year we planted; red leaf, green leaf, butter crisp, collard greens, sweet mint, basil and a strawberry plant for the leaves.

Im planning on having another garden for the bunnies again this year, but even bigger, just looking for other yummy healthy stuff to grow for them.. what is something you would definitely plant for your bunnies?

We also have purselane, dandelion and plantain that grows in the yard which we also pick..

Our bun, when free range, loves veronica & chicory leaves, violas & rudbeckia flowers. Hmmm!