How To Keep Birds Off Your Vegetable Garden

How do You Keep Birds Away from Your Garden?

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Since moving out to the country several years ago, I have learned a lot about growing a large garden. One of the things I had to learn quickly was how to keep birds out of the garden.

I do love birds, I really do. Where I live there are birds everywhere. I love to feed the hummingbirds and finches. They aren't the birds I have problem with, however. It's the robins that keep trying to steal all of my strawberries.

Feed the Birds Somewhere Else

I have bird feeders all over my front yard. I have found that having bird feeders helps keep the birds out of my garden. Birds have got to eat, so give them something to eat elsewhere to help keep them out of the garden. Wild bird seed is very inexpensive, and you can make your own hummingbird food to feed the hummingbirds.

Just don't place your bird feeders too close to the garden or it will help lure them into the garden.

Build a Scarecrow

Believe it or not people still use scarecrows to "scare" birds out of the garden. I have an easy DIY scarecrow that I put out every autumn, and I'm going to put it in my garden. Get the instructions for building a DIY scarecrow here.

Birds shy away from people, so having a scarecrow in the garden will help detract the birds from the garden. Birds are pretty smart, though, so if you have birds that visit your garden every day they will notice that the scarecrow isn't alive if you don't move it around.

You should move your scarecrow around in the garden at least once a week, more often if you think of it.

My favorite DIY tips for keeping birds out of your garden

Owls and Snakes

Owls and snakes are both natural predators of birds. Birds are afraid of them. You can purchase plastic owls and snakes to place in the garden to keep the birds away.

Again, birds will figure out that the owl or snake isn't real if they never move, so move them around every several days.

Dalen 016069000301 OW6 Gardeneer by Natural Enemy Scarecrow Horned Owl Dalen 016069000301 OW6 Gardeneer by Natural Enemy Scarecrow Horned Owl Gardeneer By Dalen Natural Enemy Scarecrow Inflatable Snake, Brown, 6 Ft. - 100055843 Gardeneer By Dalen Natural Enemy Scarecrow Inflatable Snake, Brown, 6 Ft. – 100055843

Use Netting as a Bird Deterrent in the Garden

My strawberries are what the birds are most after in my garden. You can purchase inexpensive nets to cover your strawberries and other plants that the birds are going after. Just check the nets several times a week to make sure that there are no birds caught in them.

BirdBlock 604 Reusable Netting for Bird Protection, 7 feet x 20 feet, Black BirdBlock 604 Reusable Netting for Bird Protection, 7 feet x 20 feet, Black

More Bird Scaring Tactics

Any sudden movements or loud noises will scare birds away. Many people tie aluminum pie plates to fence posts so that the swing in the wind, hitting against the fence post to make noise. You can also use metal kitchen utensils for this purpose.

Items that reflect the sun are also effective in scaring birds. Metallic curling ribbon that you use to wrap gift packages or small pieces of aluminum foil can be attached to your fence so that the wind catches it.

This inexpensive reflective tape is made for scaring birds and can also be hung from your fence. You can also hang bird repellent discs around your garden to scare the birds.

Premium Quality Bird Deterrent Reflective Scare Tape 350 ft Long - Pest Control Dual-sided Repellent Tape For Pigeons, Grackles, Woodpeckers, Geese, Herons, Blackbirds & More - Sturdy & Ultra Strong Premium Quality Bird Deterrent Reflective Scare Tape 350 ft Long – Pest Control Dual-sided Repellent Tape For Pigeons, Grackles, Woodpeckers, Geese, Herons, Blackbirds & More – Sturdy & Ultra Strong

How to Stop Birds from Eating Seedlings and Plants

If you have trouble with birds eating your seedlings and small plants, you may need to cover them with something like chicken wire until the plants are large enough to cover with plant netting.

Easy DIY tips for keeping birds out of the garden. Ideas for keeping birds from eating your strawberries!

How to Keep Birds Out of Planters

If you have birds bothering your pots and planters on your porch, patio, or deck, this inexpensive reflective tape can easily be hung nearby to keep the birds away from your planters.