Repelling Birds from My Urban Garden

Pests in the garden is a common topic of garden blog posts, guest speakers at garden clubs, and posts to garden list servs. When I had a plot in a community garden in Washington, D.C., the deer were a menace. Most gardeners had an 8-foot fence around their plot, but the deer still got in. Fighting the deer got to be too much for me so I gave up the plot. They are always going to win because it’s survival for them.

The Birds
Luckily my yard in Maryland has not been found by deer, but I do have a menace – birds! They pull up seedlings, pull leaves off plants and eat the bean seeds before they sprout. Last year’s green bean and wax been crop, one of my favorite vegetables to grow, was decimated. I barely had one meal’s worth of beans. I was so disappointed and frustrated.

My Search for a Solution

• I found some interesting garden covers on Pinterest.
• Tried fox urine, and then coyote urine.
• Tried larger mammal urine. ;)
• Saw this on Pinterest the other day, using plastic forks to keep rabbits out.
• Human hair works for some people and my hair salon will give me a bag-full.

And the Winner Is
My own invention, hangers from the dry cleaner!
And it doubles as art! And I didn’t have to buy anything!

So far, so good. You can see my been seedlings in the photos. I tried sticking them in upside down in their natural shape. And then I unraveled one and twisted it around. I am happy with this solution, for now. But I know the birds will figure out a way to get around them. It’s basically a race-will the plant sprout before the bird finds the seed.

What creative ways have you kept the critters out of your vegetable plot?