Can anyone give me some ideas of how to keep the birds from eating all of my tomatoes? I get more and more irritated everyday when I have to go out to my garden and throw half eaten tomatoes away. I am willing to try just about anything...

Have you tried a rubber snake draped on one of your plants? I dont know how large an area it will have an effect on,but it should it should protect some. Also I know some people put an rubber have owl under a carport to keep birds from messing on their cars . Might work around your garden. You didnt mention what kind of birds were doing the damage. If it is crows make it a "good" one by whatever means you have then hang up the carcass in your garden and that should keep the rest away. Then there is the good old bird netting you can put on them. Best of luck to you.

I've read that you can use computer cd's by drilling a small hole in them, and tying them up in the garden area with string or wire. I've not had to try this, but I have read several accounts that it works. Supposedly, the shiny moving discs scare birds away.

I have hung aluminum pie pans on my tomatoe cages and they do not seem to be working. As far as what kind of birds they are I could not tell you as I never see them. They only attack my poor defenseless tomatoes while no one is home. Which I think is funny. I am think the culprits are some big black birds I have seen occasionally. Plus these birds are really smart they have figured out that they can get to the top tomatoes by standing on the tomatoe cages. I am about to go and get one of those motion sensing sprinklers and let it loose on my garden.

hello cwilson, i have heard that the reason the birds attack you tomatoes is because of the water in them, i had someone tell me to put plenty of freash water in bird baths so i did and i havent had any tomatoes pecked this year this is dirty dave of fort worth txs

I am tricking the birds this year - and it seems to work - with styrofoam Christmas Tree ornaments that are yellow and red - they are very light, they don' t harm the plants, and I can see 'pecking' marks in them, and I have not lost any to birds - now, squirrels are another story. I have had to resort to dog hair and ammonia!
drchelo

I do not think I will try the Christmas ball idea. I would be afraid the birds would ingest the styrofoam. I do not like the birds eating my tomatoes but I do want them to stay around. They eat my 50,000 grasshoppers that the hay farmer behind me donated to me after mowing his hay field. I will try to get a couple of bird baths and maybe a bird feeder or two to put back near my vegetable garden. Thank you for the idea though.

Have you tried garlic pepper tea? It works on some birds, and serves as salsa for others. But it's inexpensive so it's worth a shot, I'd say! Just wash those tomatoes off well before you eat them!

I just pick my tomatoes when they just start to blush. They are red-ripe in two days and just as delicious! I hate bird netting (although find that it works really well) because it breaks my heart when I see a bird get caught in one.

I experienced great success this spring with a "scarecrow" device that I ordered from Gemplers. Costs around $69 and it can be purchased from other sources as well. It is a watering hookup that operates with a battery and when any movement comes to your garden it shoots out water. My garden is in the country where birds are only one of many challenges. Only animal it did not deter was the local armadillo--BUT, the armadillo would come in at night and eat those big gross green worms. Lucky me!
Had a bumper crop thanks to Garrett Juice and the scarecrow. -Good luck to you.

Susan

Actually, it's not a trick....just plant some Sweet 100 tomatoe vines at the end (or both ends) of your tomatoe patch. They love them and will generally leave your larger tomatoes alone. I've tried this four years in a row and it reduced the damage to my beefsteak tomatoes by at least 90%.

Dave in Denton