Birds are fun to watch….. except during the gardening season. Once our gardens are growing, birds can become a real pest. We don’t want those birds eating our strawberries, nipping off the growing tips of our sweet pea plants, or snacking on our blueberries. There’s an easy solution to keep birds from getting to your crop before you are ready to harvest it. Garden bird netting keeps the birds out, along with deer and rabbits, too. Bird pest netting is strong and long-lasting. Multi-strand design makes it strong. It has UV protection, keeping this pest netting from breaking down and getting brittle in the sun. It will last for years.
While pest netting is lightweight, the plant will grow through the mesh holes in the netting, if allowed. And, leaves that the netting rests upon, can be damaged in high heat. We recommend creating some form of frame around your plants.
You can create a frame around your entire garden (pictured above), and cover it with pest netting. Or create a simple frame around your plants.
Shrub Guard Pest Net Bags – These are perfect for quickly and easily wrapping up a bush or shrub. It is extremely popular for blueberry bushes. Simply roll it on, and your blueberries are secure. Roll it up a ways, to harvest the fruit. We recommend placing a frame around the plant. How to Make a Bird Netting Frame
Pest Netting Sheets – Pest netting sheets work well in the vegetable garden. It comes in varying sizes. Simply drape it over your plants, and the birds are shut out. Or construct a frame. It is commonly used to wrap the canopy of fruit trees, so birds cannot get to the fruit. It may not be practical in the flower garden, where the beauty of seeing the flowers, is the reason for the garden.
Bulk Pest Netting – When you’ve got a big job, use bulk roll bird pest netting. It’s cheaper in bulk. You can measure and cut pieces to size, off the roll, and save money.
Note: Pest netting makes for a great garden fence.
Here are a few ideas on how to make a frame for your netting:
1. Political sign frames.
Right after political elections, those over-abundant yard signs are tossed…… literally tossed into the garbage. Take two signs. Discard the cardboard part of the sign (please recycle). Take the U-shaped metal frame and cross-cross two of them over a plant. Slide a pest net bag over the frame. Place a brick or rock on the bottom edge of the netting that touches the ground. It’s almost instant protection.
2. The Two-Tiered Greenhouse frame:
Many of us have a two-tiered greenhouse, that we put on our deck in early spring for use as a cold frame for our seedlings. After the seedlings are planted, the greenhouse is put away until next spring.
Take the plastic cover off the frame. Now, wrap the frame in a sheet of netting, or simply pull a pest net bag over it. Set the frame over a blueberry bush (or whatever you want to cover). Now, the birds are outside, looking in.
3. Rebar and Old Tennis Balls
Pound 3 – 4 pieces of rebar into the ground around the plant. Take old tennis balls and cut a small “X” into them. Push the tennis ball onto the top of each rebar. It’s amazing how smoothly a net bag slips on and off! We were given this method by the owner of a blueberry farm. He uses this on hundreds of bushes!
Note: You can also use wooden poles, plastic tubing, or other metal stakes.
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