Dealing with Birds in the Gardens

I've had a few questions about keeping birds from eating berries and leaves in the gardens.

First: DO NOT use 'bird netting' sold in many garden centers. It is flimsy and the birds get caught in it and die.

Here are a few ideas:

• mylar tape tied to your trellis so it blows in the wind

 http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Gone-MMFT050-Flash-tape/dp/B001H1HNPQ/ref=pd_sim_lg_6

• paint golf balls red and put them in the strawberry plants- then when the birds peck them, they find them rather unpalatable and learn not to keep trying!

• make a small box or hoop out of chicken wire, window screening, very sturdy plastic mesh (usually sold as fencing) or "hardware cloth"- the same kind of wire mesh that is on the bottom of your box to keep the gophers out.

http://happyfarming.com/2009/07/06/strawberry-cage/

Hardware cloth: 5'x24" roll at Ace @ Clement & 11th: $11 (the 1/2" mesh will be fine) or in bulk at Crown Hardware at 3615 Balboa: $2.49/ft for 3' or 4' wide rolls

Plastic netting that is OK to use:

Blue Hawk 48-in x 50-ft Black Plastic/Polyresin Perimeter Fence

Item #: 157766 |  Model #: 419594 at Lowe's

 http://www.lowes.com/pd_157766-13113-419594_4294642673__?productId=3457518&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FotherTabURL%3D%252Fnp_Howto%252BProject_0__s%253FgoToProdList%253Dtrue%2526Ntt%253Dorbital%252Bsaw%26Ns%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=

• something like this might work as well, but I haven't tried it:

http://www.amazon.com/Mesh-food-nets-Set-White/dp/B005ELCAPS/ref=pd_sim_lg_6

• protect individual or clumps of berries by using jars or strawberry baskets

• and to protect seedlings, make an inexpensive version of a cloche: http://20minutegarden.com/2008/03/03/diy-garden-cloches/

Whatever you use, please be sure that they don't blow away, and that you store them in your apartment when you are done, not in the garden.