Good Day,
Please suggest how to control birds from enjoying my veggies before they are ready for picking.
The birds in our garden have a feast in my chillies, beetroot leaves, carrot leaves and radish leaves long before they start to fruit.
Many thanks...........Lawrence
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Lawrence Croeser
- Full Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:02 am
- Location: South Africa
Lawrence,
Here is a photo of my garden last year with my bird/bug netting over the tomatoes. We have a variety of bird (Cardinal) in the states that will go from tomato to tomato pecking holes in them. A lady on one gardening forum pointed out that they were only trying to get a drink of moisture and suggested I put a bird bath in my garden. I haven't done it yet, but I don't mind losing a few to the birds. Floating row covers which is simply similar netting to mine laid over the plants is probably your best bet.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2009%20Garden/IMG_1662.jpg[/img]
Ted
Here is a photo of my garden last year with my bird/bug netting over the tomatoes. We have a variety of bird (Cardinal) in the states that will go from tomato to tomato pecking holes in them. A lady on one gardening forum pointed out that they were only trying to get a drink of moisture and suggested I put a bird bath in my garden. I haven't done it yet, but I don't mind losing a few to the birds. Floating row covers which is simply similar netting to mine laid over the plants is probably your best bet.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2009%20Garden/IMG_1662.jpg[/img]
Ted
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katylaide
- Cool Member
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:12 pm
- Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia
For short plants you could try putting some sticks or stakes in the ground around the plants and threading black thread between them over the plants. I've heard it works. I've tried it on dwarf peas before and had no problems, but the peas didn't last very long because we had a freak heat wave, so couldn't be sure how effective it was.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7427
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
I have no idea what kind of birds you have in South Africa. Birds are my friends they eat all the bugs on the plants. Birds accident break off pieces of the plant when trying to get bugs. Robins will peck holes in tomatoes for juice. If you put a water bowl or a small water pond near the garden birds will not use plants for a water supply. Rubber snakes will keep birds away but you need to move the snakes around every day birds are smarter than you think if the snake does not moved for several days the birds pay no attention to it. Move the snake after dark so the birds don't see you.
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Farmer Bob
- Full Member
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 5:16 am
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Hi Lawrence,
Home boy from CT here.!
I guess u're speaking about the Mossie ( Cape Sparrow) that's eating your young seedlings. Your best bet is to use shade cloth supported by sticks of some sort so that the birds aren't able to get at the seedlings. Just make sure that the shade cloth isn't too densely woven so that the seedlings can get sufficient sunlight .
Where about in SA are u.?
Farmer Bob
Home boy from CT here.!
I guess u're speaking about the Mossie ( Cape Sparrow) that's eating your young seedlings. Your best bet is to use shade cloth supported by sticks of some sort so that the birds aren't able to get at the seedlings. Just make sure that the shade cloth isn't too densely woven so that the seedlings can get sufficient sunlight .
Where about in SA are u.?
Farmer Bob