Goaty suburban weed control and other stories
They just have some of the best articles over on yougrowgirl.com
This one (Getting her Goat) is a cracker - a recent transplant from NY city tackles her weed problem in suburban Boulder, CO by hiring a small herd of goats.
Does it go without saying that I have been tossing around a similar idea for a while. My problem is grass though - not something goats are that keen on - they are more your bush-whacker / weedwacker types. I think a cow might not go down so well, but how about a small herd of rabbits? You could drop a couple of cages down for a day or so on a patch of lawn, and move them around as necessary.
Turns out I’m not the only one who has wandered down this path. Here’s a post on
gardenweb.com: Another stupid idea: Rabbits. The thread continues with some thumbs up and down.
Holes. One person points out that rabbits like to dig holes. I had in mind a enclosed mesh frame with 2in. mesh on the floor. which I think would thwart that. It would be fully enclosed, probably with a hinged lid, probably with some shade netting. You’d need to watch for excitable dogs, hawks etc. The wire mesh would protect them from harm, but not trauma. And, before you object, this would be shift work with rabbits getting rotated in and out as necessary to keep everyone happy. Read on down the thread and someone posts saying they “use to keep rabbits and ducks and used them both as weed grazers”. Ha! I am vindicated.
There’s always sheep of course. Not nearly as fun, but faster I imagine.
What price do you put on a herd of rabbits? I think this would make a great summer job, or weekend enterprise. I can get someone to mow my lawn for $25, but I might pay double for the entertainment and environmental value of having the job done by rabbits.