Gardeners often discover that their cultivated spaces are an open buffet for local wildlife, leading to the frustrating question of which animals are responsible for the damage. Rabbits are common garden pests known for their appetite for tender, new growth. When planting a perennial crop like asparagus, understanding the risk posed by these small mammals is an important first step in garden planning and protection.
The Rabbit’s Preference for Asparagus
Yes, rabbits do eat asparagus plants, specifically targeting the most vulnerable and nutritious parts of the crop. The primary attraction is the tender, newly emerging spears harvested in the spring, which are rich in moisture and nutrients. This new growth is succulent and easily chewed, making it a highly desirable food source.
The damage is most severe early in the growing season when the spears are at their peak for human consumption. While rabbits prefer the soft shoots, they will occasionally chew the bark of mature stalks or the lower parts of the fern-like foliage later in the year. This later-season consumption can impact the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and store energy for the following spring. Rabbits are most active at night, so damage is typically discovered the following morning.
Identifying Rabbit Damage vs. Other Pests
Determining the exact culprit behind plant damage is important for implementing the correct defense strategy. Rabbit feeding leaves a distinct visual signature that differentiates it from damage caused by larger animals like deer.
Rabbits possess sharp incisor teeth, which leave a clean, angled cut on the stem, often described as looking as though it was neatly clipped with shears. Deer, by contrast, lack upper incisors and must tear or pull foliage, resulting in a ragged or unevenly ripped edge on the remaining plant material.
Rabbit damage is consistently found low to the ground, typically within a foot or two of the soil surface, whereas deer browsing occurs much higher. Furthermore, the presence of small, pea-sized, spherical droppings near the damaged plants provides strong evidence of rabbit activity. If the damage is low, clean-cut, and accompanied by these droppings, the rabbit is the likely offender.
Physical Barriers and Exclusion Methods
The most effective strategy for protecting an asparagus bed from rabbits involves the use of exclusion barriers. A fence must address two main challenges: the rabbit’s ability to jump and its tendency to burrow under obstacles. For most cottontail rabbits, a fence needs to stand at least two feet tall to prevent them from jumping over it.
The mesh size of the barrier is also important, as young rabbits can fit through small openings. It is recommended to use galvanized wire mesh or hardware cloth with openings no larger than one inch, or ideally a half-inch, to exclude even the smallest rabbits. To prevent rabbits from digging beneath the fence, the mesh must be buried at least six inches deep into the soil.
Some gardeners fold the bottom six to twelve inches of the wire mesh outward, creating an L-shaped barrier on the soil surface secured with stakes or soil, which deters digging. For smaller, newly established asparagus crowns, individual, temporary cages constructed from hardware cloth can be placed directly over the plant. This focused protection is useful in the early spring when the tender spears are emerging and are most attractive to rabbits.