For many gardeners, a vibrant tomato plant promises a bountiful harvest. But wild rabbits often raise questions about plant safety and potential garden damage, leading to concerns about their interaction with prized tomato crops.
Do Wild Rabbits Eat Tomato Plants?
Wild rabbits consume tomato plants, targeting young, tender growth like seedlings, succulent leaves, and stems. They may also nibble on ripe or green fruit if accessible, especially on lower branches. Evidence of rabbit activity includes clean, angled cuts on stems and leaves, distinguishing their damage from other pests. Gardeners might also find pea-sized droppings, small burrows, or tufts of fur near damaged plants.
Rabbits prefer young plants and new shoots due to their soft texture and higher moisture content. While not their first choice compared to other vegetables like peas or lettuce, rabbits will eat tomatoes if preferred food sources are scarce or plants are easily accessible. They can cause significant damage to an entire crop in a single night, especially to newly planted tomatoes.
Are Tomatoes Safe for Wild Rabbits?
Ripe tomato fruit is safe for rabbits in small quantities, offering vitamins A, C, and K, along with hydration. However, the green parts of the tomato plant—leaves, stems, flowers, and unripe fruit—contain toxic compounds.
These toxic substances are primarily glycoalkaloids like solanine and tomatine, natural defenses produced by nightshade plants. Solanine and tomatine can cause gastrointestinal upset in rabbits, with symptoms including diarrhea, bloat, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and lethargy. While wild rabbits might nibble these parts, they rarely consume enough for severe toxicity, often learning to avoid them after a small taste.
Protecting Your Tomato Plants from Rabbits
Gardeners can employ several humane strategies to deter wild rabbits from their tomato plants. Fencing is the most effective physical barrier, typically constructed with chicken wire or hardware cloth. Fences should be at least 2 to 3 feet high to prevent jumping, and buried 6 to 12 inches deep to stop burrowing. The mesh size should be 1 inch or smaller to prevent smaller rabbits from squeezing through.
Repellents offer another layer of defense, though their effectiveness can vary and reapplication is necessary, especially after rain. Commercial options are available, or gardeners can create homemade sprays using ingredients like hot pepper, garlic, or strong-scented herbs. Some also find success with blood meal, which deters rabbits with its scent, or egg-based sprays that mimic the presence of predators.
Strategic companion planting can help, as rabbits dislike certain plants due to their strong scents or tastes. Planting onions, garlic, mint, oregano, or marigolds around the garden perimeter creates a natural barrier. Removing nearby brush piles or keeping the area tidy also reduces hiding spots, making the garden less appealing. Raised garden beds, particularly those 24 inches or higher, can make it more difficult for rabbits to access plants.