Did You Know Baking Soda Can Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden?

Peter Rabbit is a fictional character in Beatrix Potter’s books. His first appearance was in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” published in 1902. In the books illustrations Peter can be seen eating vegetables from a garden.

An Eastern Cottontail Rabbit eats grass in the parking lot in San Antonio's Phil Hardberger Park Sept. 24. Photo: Chris Belcher

But what happens when a real-life Peter Rabbit decides to dine on a San Antonio gardener’s flowers?

“Rabbit damage is almost always the result of their appetite for our plants. They eat flower and vegetable plants in spring and summer and the bark of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs in the fall and winter,” according to The Humane Society of the United States.

The first frost typically arrives in San Antonio around November 23 according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This means flowers are still in bloom and are potentially vulnerable to the real-life Peter Rabbit.

A can of Arm & Hammer TM Baking Soda sits in front of flowers Nov. 14. Photo: Chris Belcher

If a San Antonio gardener is looking for a solution to keep rabbits from eating their flowers, there’s one in most kitchens. Arm & Hammer TM Baking Soda will help keep rabbits away from your plants.

“Sprinkle baking soda around your vegetable garden. Make a thin but visible ring of baking soda around each plant. This will dissuade rabbits from nibbling on them. You will need to apply this mixture regularly, especially after it rains,” wrote Jonathan Holmes in “How do you keep rabbits from eating herbs?”

There is some doubt about using baking soda for keeping rabbits out of gardens.

Jann Olson voiced her worry on her blog Mother’s Home, “I am not so sure about trying this, especially since we know that the baking soda can affect the PH level in your soil.”

It’s something to keep in mind if you’re worried about the PH level in your soil. You can test the soil to see what the current PH is and then decide based on that information.

Baking soda is one method you can use to keep San Antonio’s real-life Peter Rabbits out of your garden. It’s a humane method to keep the rabbits away from your flowers and let gardeners live in harmony with urban wildlife in San Antonio. So, grab the Arm & Hammer TM Baking Soda out of your kitchen cabinet and sprinkle some around your flowers.