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+--- Thread: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels (/showthread.php?tid=1190)
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Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Veggie - 11-07-2021
Losing fruit to birds and squirrels is a big problem.
Do you protect yours?
How and does it work?
Please share your methods.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - JJB - 11-07-2021
Resorted to two fruit cages but still the bugs get in
Environmesh for the brassicas and carrots.
Surrounded the whole garden with chicken wire to keep rabbits out.
Squirrels bit their way in through the plastic net of the fruit cages so had to put a foot of wire netting around the bottom edge.
Squirrels aren't much of a problem now, they don't touch the sweetcorn or courgettes/pumpkins but they do dig holes in the lawn to bury nextdoor's hazelnuts
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Small chilli - 11-07-2021
The soft fruit outside is fair game. The fruit in the tunnel (strawberries & tomatoes)are now off limits to Mrs blackbird. I’ve had enough, so put a net door up. It’s been up nearly a week and seem to be working very well. I do check it quite often as it’s still new. To make sure no one is tangled in it. Something that concerns me greatly. It’s not been an issue so far. I do have some tasselie things behind it to make it more visible. I’ll take photo later.
I’ve managed to pick a half decent amount of strawberries since it’s been up.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Bren - 11-07-2021
I’ve got a debris netting brassica cage that helps protect them from butterflies.
Hoops and Debris netting to keep birds of my few strawberries but I don’t bother netting raspberries of blackberries there’s plenty for us all.
I have to net newly planted lettuce from the young sparrows.
Carrots get either fleece or find netting
We don’t seem to have squirrels around here, we have plenty of pigeons though but they only seem interested in the lawn and trees.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Mark_Riga - 11-07-2021
The fruit at risk here:
plums and pears at fruitlet stage to pigeons. Plum are a problem but the pears can be kept quite small and netted for a few weeks till the fruit are big enough.
strawberries, netted for birds but eaten by squirrels
raspberries in fruit cage damaged and eaten by squirrels
cherries in fruit cage - squirrels
red and black currants and gooseberries harvested in fruit cage.
nectarines in polytunnel a lot of insect damage; fruit flies, earwigs and slugs.
all in all, a lot of work to feed a few squirrels.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Small chilli - 11-07-2021
Here’s the photos. Not really any help to you as you’re not trying to stop them getting into a polytunnel.
[attachment=3446] [attachment=3447]
Just that cheap nasty pea net wrapped around a bit of batten that’s slightly wider than the doorway. with a thinner bit of batten stapled on top to keep it all in place. Then screwed to the polytunnel door frame. Same on the bottom to keep it weighed down but not stapled to the door frame
. I put 3 or 4 screws down one side of the door frame. Leaving them proud, to hook the netting onto. So it doesn’t pull in and leave gaps. Then I’ve got what’s left of the plastic tassely 70s style door screen that I put up a couple of years ago for the same reason ( that didn’t work! ) behind it so it shows up better for the birds.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Veggie - 11-07-2021
Thanks all.
My strawberries are OK - I'm growing them in growbags on a table and a shopping trolley, so they're all off ground and covered with debris netting that I can duck under to pick the fruit.
Most of the raspberries are in the debris netting covered GH frames - although the netting is getting holey and I've found birds and a squirrel in there recently.
Birds don't see too interested in gooseberries.
The main problem this year has been woodpigeons, flying down onto the bushes and snapping the branches. The ground is littered with unripe jostaberries and red currants.
Also, the blackbirds fly into the bushes and eat their fill.
I'm thinking of growing some jostaberries and various currants from cuttings and growing them to maturity in 30 litre planters with handles (bought to grow spuds in).
I'm hoping that I'll be able to move the planters under cover/netting once they start fruiting - especially if I keep on top of the pruning while they grow.
My 2nd line of defence will be to bag individual fruit trusses which will, at least catch the fruit that is been knocked off by the flying pests.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Jimny14 - 11-07-2021
So interestingly it seems to be red fruit around here that get ransacked. I grow black currants and gooseberries for us, and red currants for the birds. I feed the garden birds regularly at a different part of the garden to the fruit and veg and under their feeders I grow strawberries which are mainly for them. Our hedges also have occasional fruit bushes in them for wild life. We lose some raspberries but am planning on planting more golden varieties as they seem to get got less. I don't often net things especially if we're not going to be around to check them daily. Pigeons tend not to be a problem and the only thing our squirrel seems to do is Bury horse chestnuts everywhere.
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - doublyjonah - 11-07-2021
(11-07-2021, 06:39 PM)Jimny14 Wrote: So interestingly it seems to be red fruit around here that get ransacked. I grow black currants and gooseberries for us, and red currants for the birds. I feed the garden birds regularly at a different part of the garden to the fruit and veg and under their feeders I grow strawberries which are mainly for them. Our hedges also have occasional fruit bushes in them for wild life. We lose some raspberries but am planning on planting more golden varieties as they seem to get got less. I don't often net things especially if we're not going to be around to check them daily. Pigeons tend not to be a problem and the only thing our squirrel seems to do is Bury horse chestnuts everywhere.Lucky birds! Gives me the idea to bring our older strawberry plants home for the birds (and, ugh, yes, the squirrels) as we replace with runners or new plants. Thanks for sharing
RE: Protecting fruit from birds/squirrels - Jimny14 - 11-07-2021
[quote pid='26845' dateline='1626027880']
Lucky birds! Gives me the idea to bring our older strawberry plants home for the birds (and, ugh, yes, the squirrels) as we replace with runners or new plants. Thanks for sharing
[/quote]
No problem, I find it is working OK and we have losses but I find working with the wildlife is the best way to go as I'm busy and like an easy life. We certainly harvest less percentage wise than most I'm sure, but I'm sure I put in far less time and as I'm time poor at the moment that's fine by me (I'm currently sat with a 4wk old baby trying to get him to nod off and settle somewhere so I can get on with dinner while my wife has a shower).