In the past few days our first cherry tomatoes started to ripen. I went out to check on them today and they were gone!! I noticed a few other green tomatoes had bird peck holes in them. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to keep the birds from eating the tomatoes and strawberries?

I have hung unwanted CDs in my garden before. The flashes of light scares them. Some success...

Thanks. I'll try hanging a few CD's out there.

Last year I had a problem with something eating my peppers. I think it was grasshoppers or some worm. I ordered a box of "footies" (those things you wear in the shoe store when trying on shoes.) I covered the ripening peppers with the nylon footies until they were ripe enough to pick. It really worked! I am going to try the same thing with the 'maters this year because the birds are getting to them when they barely have any color at all! Unlike peppers, though, you can pick tomatoes shortly after you see color and they will finish ripening nicely on the countertop.

They also make green sleeves (open on both end) and it's almost a panty hose type of material that you can slip over your tomatoes. The green color also helps mask the bright red that the birds are attracted to. I found mine at Brumley Gardens a year or so ago and never saw them there after.

I had no idea there existed a nylon (pantyhose-type) product for this purpose. I have been using those flesh-colored nylon "footies" this week (after losing a bunch of maters to the birds last week) and it has been working! I got a box of about 100 for about 4 bucks from store supply warehouse online. If anyone knows where to find the green ones, let us know!

I can tell you that they are a heck of a lot more expensive than the footies!