How to Keep Birds Away From Your Garden
You work hard on your garden. All of those countless hours watering, weeding, and waiting are worth it when you finally get to reap the harvest. That is until birds get the first pick of your prime fruits and vegetables. Rather than giving up even a nibble to birds this season, try some of these humane ways to keep birds away from your garden.
Scarecrows, Owls, and Other Scary Things
Scarecrows and gardens go hand in hand, however it’s time to think outside the old box. Scarecrows, plastic predators, shiny objects, and even balloons tied to your garden fence really can keep birds away from your tender vegetables and fruits. However, the success lies in how you use them. Rather than just planting your scaring objects out in your garden, be sure to move them around every couple of days. Birds become wise to these tools if they see the same old thing day after day. Change it up often in order to really get a bird’s attention and to keep them at bay. Objects that work great for this include:
  • Scarecrows or dummies dressed in human clothing
  • Old CDs
  • Reflective tape
  • Plastic owls, snakes, or other predators
  • Garden spinners
  • Mylar balloons with a face drawn on them
Build a Stick Tent
If you have just a few precious plants that birds are really working over, consider building a stick tent over them. Using several small sticks, push one end into the ground at varying angles so that the other ends help to cover and protect your plant. Of course, larger plants will need longer sticks and smaller plants smaller sticks. The idea is to make a stick cage around the plant that birds can’t get through.
Windchimes
Similar to a scarecrow or plastic owl, windchimes can help scare birds away. After all, they provide plenty of movement and noise that may have a bird thinking twice about entering your garden. Just be sure to use the same principles as you would with a scarecrow and move it around every couple of days. You may also have better luck with a windchime with shiny metal or other reflective surfaces.
Get Noisy
There are many noise machine products on the market aimed at scaring birds and other garden pests away. These machines emit a high pitched noise similar to that of an attacking hawk. Some are tripped by motion and also include flashing lights. Again, you may want to switch these up periodically as some birds may grow accustomed to them and start to ignore them instead.
Decoys
Sometimes birds will be fooled by decoys. We’re not talking other birds here. Rather use decoys that look like the fruit or vegetables the birds are after. Painting rocks to look like food and them placing them in your garden a few weeks before the real harvest is ready may trick birds into thinking your garden products aren’t as tasty as worthwhile as they thought.
Use Netting
The most fail safe yet labor intensive and expensive option is to use netting to cover part of all of your garden. Chicken wire or other fine mesh works well. You may choose to cover only the plants that are most bothered by birds or cover your entire garden.
Some options for netting include netting at the ground level. This would place the netting right over the most vulnerable plants. In some cases, you may drape the netting directly over the leaves or you may use sticks to build a frame.
If you choose to net your entire garden, you will need some form of sturdy framework, such as tall posts or trees to attach your netting to. Either way, netting provides a barrier that birds can’t get through and keep your plants safe. If you choose to net your garden, just make sure to cover the entire space from top to bottom. You don’t want any uncovered spaces near the ground that would still allow a bird through.
Embrace the Birds
Believe it or not, birds can actually be beneficial to a garden. They eat slugs, snails, and insects that may be munching on your garden plants. Rather than try to rid your garden of birds, consider sharing some of your harvest with them in exchange for keeping the insects and slugs away.