My sister sent me a text the other night asking if I still use plastic forks to keep the rabbits from eating my green bean seedlings.
Yep, I sure do.
I sent her back the current picture as evidence.
The garden fairies also wrote about this method in their last update and that post has been shared a few times. Since I cannot let the garden fairies upstage me again, I decided to write my own post.
Here’s the scoop.
When I sow seeds for my green beans and edamame, I line the rows with plastic forks to keep the rabbits from getting to the seedlings. I call these rows a “ForkTress”.
Yes, I am aware that it looks crazy, but doesn’t a lot of what we gardeners do look crazy? Did I mention it is inexpensive because you can buy a box of hundreds of plastic forks for less than $10 at the big warehouse stores?
Of course, there are some people who don’t think this works. And I will not personally guarantee it works everywhere or for everyone, because I don’t want angry mobs of gardeners dumping forks on my front lawn if it doesn’t work for them.. But I know I have personally lost far fewer bean plants to rabbits since I started installing a ForkTress around my beans.
Once the bean seedlings become bean plants, I can remove the forks and the rabbits will leave the plants alone because they really only want the seedlings. And yes, I’m lazy enough that I often leave the forks for the duration and then collect them up when I pull out that row of beans.
Feel free to set up a ForkTress in your own garden and let me know how it works for you.
I should have had them around my broccoli. The rabbits ate it.
i used to have big planter boxes of peas & beans and lettuces that i kept on my back deck. i had to plant them like this because the plague of rabbits who invaded from the back orchard looking for my tender vegetables. keeping them up on the deck kept the rabbits away but another invader came from under the deck. chipmunks. they would dig up my peas & beans & lettuces and plant sunflowers they raided from the bird feeders next to the deck. it was actually kind of marvelous, the ingenuity. but dang it … my peas & beans & lettuces!!! so i forked and knived the boxes so thickly that the chippies abandoned their deck farm and went off to the perennial bed to plant sunflowers.
i also helped completely fork my across-the-street neighbor's front yard one night with some teens from the youth group. it was one of the more brilliant pranks we pulled on our youth pastor/neigbor/friend. haha.
That's a great idea! My mother's green bean seedling are ready to be planted outside, and we were just talking of some ideas how to keep these small greens away from the rabbits. It's kinda funny, but these forks seem to work perfectly uin my mom's garden. Thanks for the idea 🙂
I’ve been using this method for years, but for a different culprit – Stellar Jays. I plant seeds in tires & pots, then cover with bird netting. And then, I line the perimeter with forks pointing outwards. This way they can’t stand on the edges, lean over & thieve away through the netting. And yes, I caught them doing this! Once the seedlings are at least 4″ high, I remove the forks & netting. Interesting sight since my garden is in front yard! Rinse & store the forks for the next go-round.
What about birds that seem to be eating the plants??
I like using 2 liter bottles with the bottoms cut off as shields against bugs or rabbits or dogs walking on them.