# how about squash leaves and stems?



## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

since the whole squash is rabbit consumable...anyone know if the plant itself is?

I have a squash trying to overtake the world and I'm thinking to trim it back and give some to the bunnies.

thoughts?


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Last summer I fed my rabbits a small quantity of young squash shoots and leaves, but they didn't seem to like them much so I never bothered after that. I doubt very much that they will eat mature leaves or stems. I think the roughness puts them off... although they munch down raspberry canes or sow thistle spines and all. :shrug:


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

mine will eat young plants, but I compost the older ones as they have never wanted to eat those.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Cottontails and everything else wild leaves the squash leaves and stems alone. Only insects seem to like them. Deer, rabbit, squirrels, *****, possums, turkeys. I've noticed even the goats at the nearby milking farm leave the squash. Lady has squash growing on the fence. They'll eat the SQUASH, but not the leaves. :shrug:


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

In a Three Sisters garden, beans, corn and squash work together. The beans add nitrogen to the soil for the hungry corn and squash plants. The corn provides support for the beans and squash to grow upon. For years I wondered what the squash contributed. Apparently the scratchy foliage is so irritating that it helps keep critters like raccoons from eating the corn. They hate to walk through the squash plants. I think that is pretty neat! There is no wisdom like old wisdom.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

MaggieJ said:


> In a Three Sisters garden, beans, corn and squash work together. The beans add nitrogen to the soil for the hungry corn and squash plants. The corn provides support for the beans and squash to grow upon. For years I wondered what the squash contributed. Apparently the scratchy foliage is so irritating that it helps keep critters like raccoons from eating the corn. They hate to walk through the squash plants. I think that is pretty neat! There is no wisdom like old wisdom.



well, it's actually that the squash shade out all the weeds, but by god..you might be right. I tried the 3 sisters thing this year, and the 2 mounds that didn't have squash sprout up had obvious deer and **** damage to the corn. In the rest of the garden where the squash has literally taken over (one vine we tracked 35feet out from it's root...up and over a 4ft fence) we have NO deer or **** or rabbit damage.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> well, it's actually that the squash shade out all the weeds, but by god..you might be right. I tried the 3 sisters thing this year, and the 2 mounds that didn't have squash sprout up had obvious deer and **** damage to the corn. In the rest of the garden where the squash has literally taken over (one vine we tracked 35feet out from it's root...up and over a 4ft fence) we have NO deer or **** or rabbit damage.


I guess Squash is the busy "sister"! It has two jobs.


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

thanks all! so no squash leaves for the bunnies then...into the composter they go! And thanks for the ideas on protecting my corn next year. Stupid *****!


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