HELP..Birds are...

eating the tomatoes in my garden.  As I mentioned before this is the first time I've ever had a garden and I need advice on what to do about the birds.  Any help and/or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you so much!

Terri

You can buy bird netting at a garden center. Walmart carries it, but it might be gone now - after all - it's winter there, LOL. You can just drape this over your plants - I've used it on beans before with good results.

My neighbors have had this problem in the past, especially during a drought. Birds would peck holes in the tomatoes for their juice.

May I suggest netting for your tomatoes, available at garden centers. I have used netting successfully on other plants (not tomatoes). The only problem I had was birds got stuck in the netting and I had to cut them out to release them. 

Good luck. 

The birds and especially the squirrels get the juice out of them here.  You can cage you garden.  That would help.  I also started putting fresh water in the birdbath to encourage them to use that instead. 

my sister in law uses aluminum pie pans to keep birds out of her garden.  I don't know how well it works.  She puts stakes into the ground and ties the pans to the stakes.  She said the banging against the stakes and the reflected sunlight help keep them out.  Peanuts suggestion of putting water in a birdbath sounds like a good one!

I had trouble one year...got some chicken wire from the hardware store.  Made little "cages" around each of my plants (I usually have 6-8 plants...so not too many).

I have found (for your garden next year) that marigolds help with the birds, especially the crows.  They go after the flowers/seeds and ignore the tomatoes.  I believe marigolds also help with bugs...???  I plant them between the individual tomato plants...looks rather nice!!

 

I like Peanut's suggestion, too, about providing fresh water for the birds. I had a problem with chipmunks or mice chewing the stems of my impatiens. This year I dug a small depression in the garden and placed a bowl of water in it, for the critters. I don't know for sure if they are drinking it, but my impatiens haven't been chewed since I did this. 

There is a product called BIRD TAPE... it is mylar I think red on one side silver on the other.. you string it around your garden.. and the breeze makes it wiggle.. it scares the birds... doesn't do a thing for rabbits tho.. any idea's???

 We tie plastic grocery bags to the cages and stakes, animals are skittish around any type of movement and the slightest breeze will move those plastic bags.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.  My dear Granny called me today and told me about the pie pans and plastic bags.  She says it's always worked for her.  So I think thats what I will try.  Again thank you all for your help!!

Terri