Lana Willis
Newly Registered
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:58 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

The Birds want my garden

New gardener here. I am container gardening [rubbermaid totes]. I made self watering containers.

How will I keep the darn birds away? Please help. Thank you

annastasia76
Senior Member
Posts: 223
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:59 pm
Location: Southern Ca

lowes and home depot sells bird netting to keep them out. I used it last year on my tomatoes, it worked against the birds but didn't stop bunnies, they would go right through it. we also got several lizards and a rattle snake caught in it.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Lana, What are you growing and what kind of birds are bothering them?

...
annastasia wrote:...and a rattle snake caught in it.
:shock: :eek:

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

Marlingardener wrote:Personally, I've never found tossing shotgun shells at birds to be very effective . . . .
Me, either, MG! The only ones who are bothered by it seem to be the neighbors and the police. The birds don't care a bit. :lol:

Not to mention that I appreciate the fact that the birds are doing me a service by eating insect pests. ;)

User avatar
nes
Green Thumb
Posts: 631
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Rural Ottawa, ON

Those "corn bangers" are annoying as hell! You can hear them from kms away :P

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Not to mention that I appreciate the fact that the birds are doing me a service by eating insect pests. ;)
X2

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Yup, the people who write in here complaining about lots of insect pests usually don't have lots of birds in their gardens. Be grateful. Even the birds that come to seed feeders usually eat insects part of the time.

Bird netting works fine for me. I don't put it on the plants, things can reach through it then. I put it over a frame, hoop, etc or wrap it around poles around the outer edge of a raised bed. Yes, you do have to open it up to get to your plants, but to me it is worth it to have the plants and produce AND the birds and critters and we all co-exist.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Birds are your friends they eat all the bugs. I would never do anything to keep the birds out of my garden.

User avatar
tomf
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3233
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 8:15 am
Location: Oregon

I have seen water jets that detect motion work.

For my berries I did this; it has a gate on the other side so I can just come in and out with ease. I have not had any birds hurt my vegetables and as said the eat bugs.

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/twistedtomf/_DSC0040-3.jpg[/img]

garden5
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3062
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:40 pm
Location: ohio

Are the birds being a real problem? As other have said, they are actually beneficial and many folks put up bird-houses to attract them.

If they are a nuisance, than I would say to go with the netting.

One class of repellents that I've heard isn't effective at all are the predator decoys. They work at first.....but after a while the birds get wise and just perch on them.

Lana Willis
Newly Registered
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:58 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Thanks for all the replies. I won't have to worry about insects and other pests - I will be using self watering containers - the tops will be covered with black landscape netting to so bugs cannot enter at the same pace as ground gardening..

Don't want to hurt the birds [unless I was hunting for food]. :wink:

I will go with shiny material - some homemade scarecrows..Some of these are very large though - in the desert we have birds that migrate through who can pick up a small animal [falcons-crows etc] main problems will be sparrows,pigeons,blackbirds,ravens,hummingbirds

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Lana Willis, I think I need to repeat -- WHAT are you growing?
Some plants need insects for pollination, unless you are planning to hand pollinate.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Lana Willis wrote:Sorry for the late reply. I will be growing tomatoes,lettuce,jalapenos,squash,turnips,parsley,cilantro,onions etc

They haven't actually started - just all my supplies seem to have brought them out of no where - the types are: pigeons-ravens-little blackbirds-hummingbirds-sparrows-the occasional crows
Thanks, Lana. I think you accidentally PM'd this to me.
Looks like you'll be OK on pollination with tomatoes and peppers if you take care to shake the plants once in a while (they do benefit from tiny pollinating wasps and hover flies), but the squash will need to be pollinated. When in bloom, cilantro and onion (if you let it flower), as well as parsley in 2nd year, will attract BENEFICIAL insects (such as the tiny wasps and flies) that prey on aphids and pest caterpillars.

Some people intentionally keep their squash covered to exclude Squash vine borers and squash bugs, then diligently hand pollinate.

Note that you'll want to sow lettuce, onions, parsley, cilantro, and I think turnips too while it's still cold -- about a month before last average frost.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”