Tips for deterring birds from your crops

[Emily Peagram]

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all seeing some exciting progress with your fruit and veg.

How do you deter birds from your crops?

Please note that answers may be edited and used in the August issue of Grow Your Own magazine.

Thanks

Emily

[Nicos]

**Can we please keep this thread just for replies to Emily about birds and not go off a tangent into a cat hating rant/ thread??? **

Thank you in advance

[Scarlet]

Nets. Pigeons don't seem to be frightened of the CD in my garden.

[batman]

I net everything that birds like. My neighbours have lots of CDs around their plot, but this only leads to me picking CDs out of my veg beds when it's been windy.

[Bigmallly]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ies_85252.html

[Jay-ell]

Scaffold netting although I have been looking at the Bird Of Prey kites available and wonder if they work. I haven't used them this year but I did hang red Christmas baubles on my Tom's last year and strung up cds.


Of course having the cats wandering around also helps scare them off

[noviceveggrower]

I net up what I can but then encourage wildlife into the garden to eat the slugs and snails up. Have several bird feeders dotted over the place at home. At the allotment I just have nets and CD's hanging up. Have plenty of wildlife down there to eat the slugs.

[Alison]

Net here too, nothing else is reliable plus all my brassicas are covered in enviromesh to deter butterflies which also keeps the pigeons off. The only thing the birds like which I don't net is raspberries as I gave so many and don't mind sharing.

[TrysHard]

Netting - I also dangle things around the veg patch but I suspect they only make me feel like I am doing something.

[Lumpy]

I string a few old CD's over my lettuces and it seems to deter the flock of sparrows we have living in the hedge.

[marcofez]

Nets and used silver foil, plus rotating windmill thingys!

[KevinM67]

Nets and used silver foil, plus rotating windmill thingys!

The plot holder next to me uses silver foil -dangling from the branches of her larger fruit trees.
Netting could only be draped over them, which might risk any birds being caught up in it.

[Penellype]

Enviromesh for fruit (I hate bird netting as the birds get tangled in it). I used to have issues with birds eating young pea shoots in my previous garden and found old fashioned milk bottle tops strung onto a cotton thread was effective - the tops make a noise when the wind blows, which is quite different to foil as they are thicker. I still have a few, but would have no idea where to get more

[planetologist]

I use some netting. Someone also gave me 2 rolls of square mesh fencing, and I protect the tops with rope. I also leave some things unprotected on purpose, reasoning that birds need their five a day as well, and that they are more likely to visit my garden for a mixed diet of slugs and cabbage than for slugs alone.

[veggiechicken]

I run around and wave my arms about. While the birds are laughing at me, they're not eating my fruit.