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How to keep hares out of your garden, naturally

Damages and remedies: prevention is key

Hares are found throughout Italy. The most common species is the European hare, but it is not the only one. The Italian hare, which is more slender, is found in Sicily and in some areas of central and southern Italy. The Sardinian or Mediterranean hare, on the other hand, is smaller and found mainly in Sardinia. Finally, the mountain hare, whose coat changes color depending on the season, lives only in the Alps.

Hares are especially active at dusk and at night, while during the day they remain in their burrows. In fact, they do not dig burrows, but crouch in sheltered depressions, for example among grass, greenery, and clods of earth. They adapt to different habitats but tend to gather where the situation is most favorable: the optimal environment is varied, for example, alternating small garden plots and wild vegetation (unkempt areas, bushes, not too dense woods, etc.). Environmental variety not only guarantees food availability throughout the year, but also the possibility of finding shelter: this is why agricultural areas are ideal. Having outlined the habitat and habits of hares, in this article we will look at the damage they can cause in gardens, vegetable patches, and fields, and explain how to keep them away.

Hares in the vegetable patch: the damage

If it offers everything they need, hares tend to stay in the same area for a long time. They move if danger arises, if there is a source of disturbance, or if food becomes scarce. For example, they move to areas that are less arid in summer and sunnier in winter.

Hares are herbivores: in spring and summer, they feed on the green parts of plants such as shoots and twigs, and in autumn and winter they feed on the dry parts. They roam over large areas, feeding mainly on wild vegetation. However, if this is scarce—for example, due to drought, cold temperatures, or snow—or if there are many other hares, they will resort to crop plants. In the warmer months, they graze on trees and shrubs (especially young ones), vegetables (carrots, spinach, etc.), and legumes (peas, beans, etc.). In autumn and winter, they gnaw on the bark of trees and shrubs; they eat the leaves of autumn-winter cereals such as wheat, fallen fruit, seeds, roots, and vegetables (radicchio, cabbage, etc.). They can also damage the hoses and sprinklers of irrigation systems with their incisors.

The trees and shrubs targeted by hares are fruit trees, vines, ornamental plants, and hedges. Compared to vegetables and other crops, they suffer greater damage due to the bark being stripped from the trunk, which, among other things, facilitates the entry of pathogens and the development of diseases, and in the most serious cases causes the death of the plant.

Consider that damage similar to that caused by hares can also be caused by other animals. Gnawed bark, broken shoots and twigs are also signs left by European rabbits—which we will discuss later—and rodents such as squirrels, mice, and the like. What differs is the size of the bites and their height from the ground. European rabbits and nutria (found near waterways and wetlands, which hares do not like) may be responsible for grazing and gnawing on vegetables and other crops. However, moles can be ruled out a priori as they are insectivores.

Speaking of mice and rats, here is our article on how to keep them away from your garden and vegetable patch. Here, on the other hand, you will find our tips for keeping moles away.

How to keep hares away from your vegetable patch

If you live far from the city, in a quiet place—in a small town, in the countryside, or in an isolated area—you may have to deal with hares (and other wild animals such as roe deer and wild boars). This can happen especially in the cold season, when food is scarce in nature, and if your property is not fenced in—or is only partially fenced in—and the edges slope down into a ditch, border a field, or fade into a hedge or copse.

The only way to keep hares away and protect your plants from damage is to prevent it. Depending on the situation, you can:

Fence off the cultivated soil or vegetable patch with a 1-1.5 m high net, buried about 30 cm deep (consider using a transporter to carry the net and fence posts).
Wrap the trunk of individual plants with a shelter or guard (various types are available on the market), thick metal mesh secured with electrician’s cable ties, or a DIY solution using recycled materials (e.g., plastic bottles cut lengthwise and stacked around the trunk).
Apply hare repellents that make the smell and taste of plants unpleasant.
“Distract” hares from trees, shrubs, and crops by providing them with alternative food sources in areas and periods at risk, such as pruning debris, discarded fruit and vegetables, and hay.
Maintain wild vegetation near crops (for example, here you can take a look at which plants thrive near vines).

As for hare repellents, also known as deterrents, there are products on the market based on synthetic or natural active ingredients (e.g., chili pepper and garlic extracts). Apply them with a brush or mini-roller to protect the trunk during plant dormancy. Distribute them to protect the canopy during vegetative resumption with a backpack pump or mist blower. You can also use them to create a “chemical barrier” around an area by spraying a strip of soil. These are general guidelines; we recommend that you follow the instructions for the product you purchase. Similarly, you can try to repel hares with a “barrier” of chopped chili peppers and garlic placed around the area or plants you want to protect.

It is important that hares find food and shelter. In this sense, wild vegetation, hedges, shrubs, etc., as well as grassing the outer rows of orchards or vineyards, prevent damage to fruit trees, vines, ornamental plants, vegetables, and other crops. However, the vegetation must not become too dense, otherwise it loses its usefulness for hares, so it is advisable to mow or partially cut it from time to time, for example using a flail mower or brushcutter.

Not just hares: other lagomorphs

If you see a wild animal with long ears and long, muscular hind legs, perfect for running and jumping, do not always assume that it is a hare. In fact, other animals from the same family live on our peninsula and are very similar: the European rabbit and the cottontail rabbit.

European rabbits have a stockier body than hares, with less slender hind legs. Unlike hares, they dig burrows and tunnels, feed in the surrounding areas, and live in colonies, sometimes large ones (hares, on the other hand, are not social animals, although they tend to form small groups). From a distance, you might mistake a European rabbit with a cottontail rabbit. However, when fleeing, the latter can be recognized by its zigzagging movement. European rabbits and cottontail rabbits have similar feeding habits to hares, so they can damage plants and crops: the preventive measures listed above therefore also apply to them.

Among the least welcome animals in the vegetable patch and garden are mollusks and insects. Here’s how to get rid of snails and slugs, mosquitoes, ants, and plant pests.