the birds eat all of our blackberries

Elliot · June 23, 2009

Is there anything we can do to ward off the birds before they take every last backberry off of the plant?

Elliot

habitat_gardener · June 24, 2009

Bird netting!

Last year was my first harvest, and as I patiently waited for the berries to get ripe, the birds moved in and started pecking at the blackberries when they were still tart. So I installed bird netting.

I've used the black stuff sold as bird netting (which is good if you still have flowers because the bees can still pass through it, but it's about ten dollars or so), as well as net and tulle (from the fabric store, less than a dollar a yard on sale) and an old lacy tablecloth (only a dollar at the thrift store). I secure the netting to the trellis with clothespins, which makes it easy to move it aside for picking.

And then as more berries ripened, the ants moved in. I forgot how I dealt with them.

June 23, 2009	#1
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	the birds eat all of our blackberries Is there anything we can do to ward off the birds before they take every last backberry off of the plant? Elliot

June 24, 2009	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	Bird netting! Last year was my first harvest, and as I patiently waited for the berries to get ripe, the birds moved in and started pecking at the blackberries when they were still tart. So I installed bird netting. I've used the black stuff sold as bird netting (which is good if you still have flowers because the bees can still pass through it, but it's about ten dollars or so), as well as net and tulle (from the fabric store, less than a dollar a yard on sale) and an old lacy tablecloth (only a dollar at the thrift store). I secure the netting to the trellis with clothespins, which makes it easy to move it aside for picking. And then as more berries ripened, the ants moved in. I forgot how I dealt with them.