**** birds!

[speckle-catcher]

my first tomater just started to change this morning and had the slightest bit of color to it - by the time I got home - it's been pecked at...twice!

do plastic owls work for keeping birds away from gardens?

[CoastalOutfitters]

sometimes
and rubber snakes
and a pellet gun
and red XMas balls
and bird net

welcome to raising maters.........LOL

[Mrschasintail]

My hubby strung up lines across the garden and hung pieces of foil from them in one garden and hung blank cd's in the other, it works! I'll stand out there like Granny Clampitt before I let them critters get my maters!

[BEER4BAIT]

I use a owl with rotating head and rubber snakes in the fruit trees, berrys and maters. not one peck I can let the vine ripen the way they should be.

[speckle-catcher]

I know where to get an owl...where do I find rubber snakes?

and do I place them on the ground near the plants...or...?

[Rubberback]

I know where to get an owl...where do I find rubber snakes?

and do I place them on the ground near the plants...or...?
I found some rubber snakes at w mart & put them around the plants But I also built a large cage around mine with nylon mesh . Never had much luck with the bells & whistles. But my garden is in the country guess the critters are smarter LOL

[ROBOWADER]

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=208185

those freaking snakes and owls dont do chit..........

My neighbor had a mocking bird pecking at his big blowup snake.....LMAO

[speckle-catcher]

I may have to go that way with the netting - but was hoping to avoid that since my "garden" is a 3' x 25' strip along the side of my garage

[11andy11]

one thing on the netting, its gotta go all the way to the ground. I was out there yesterday and there were to mockingbirds inside the netting. Lost about 90 percent of my tomaters to the birds and possums. I have caught 4 possums inside the netting in live traps.

[pepo211]

I hear the rubber snakes work best but an ol timer gave me a cheaper solution.....He said he would take black trash bags and cut them into strips and weave that in and out of his maters........no mas birds!!!

[tec]

I keep seeds and water for the birds and so far this year they have left my maters alone. I saw a male Cardinal in my garden this morning but I think the red made him think there was some competetion there.

[Haute Pursuit]

I planted 3 "sacrificial" grape tomato plants and the birds seem to like them much better than the big tomatoes. We still get more of the small tomatoes than we can eat and the birds are content to peck at the little ones they knock off the plants. Haven't had one peck on the big tomatoes yet and we have taken around 50 off the plants already.

[TheAnt]

I am so inspired I want to join the fight! Is it too late to start some or will they just burn up as babies in the summer Sun?

[Meadowlark]

I am so inspired I want to join the fight! Is it too late to start some or will they just burn up as babies in the summer Sun?

Most likely they will not bloom and just fade out. Try fall tomatoes.

I've never had any luck with those owls...completely useless for me. We love the birds so we kind of plant extra and just try to get our share.

Like the strips of trash bag idea. Might try that.

[speckle-catcher]

I am so inspired I want to join the fight! Is it too late to start some or will they just burn up as babies in the summer Sun?if you want to give it a shot - find a "heatwave" tomato plant. They are supposed to be more heat resistant.

So far - my Early Girl and the Heatwave have the most fruit on them.

[PHINS]

Keeping a bird bath full of fresh clean water has really seemed to help this year. I've picked about 30 tomatoes and have lost 2.

["The Marshall"]

bird net at lowes....100 ft x 7 ft 7.99...havent lost a tomatoe since...i can show you a pic of how to tie it all up and hang it right since your an enginear....LMAO

[boomgoon]

bird net at lowes....100 ft x 7 ft 7.99...havent lost a tomatoe since...i can show you a pic of how to tie it all up and hang it right since your an enginear....LMAO

:rotfl:

[speckle-catcher]

bird net at lowes....100 ft x 7 ft 7.99...havent lost a tomatoe since...i can show you a pic of how to tie it all up and hang it right since your an enginear....LMAOyou must be talking about them engineers you work with that can't tell the difference between 4" and 100mm :D

did you find the netting in the garden department? I picked up some netting, but it was 3'x25' "poultry cloth" - I did not see anything called "bird netting" - and nothing in that size range, or I would have bought it.

[Hooked]

When the squirrels and mockingbirds sat on the owls head to eat the fruit is when my wife got out the chain saw and took out the peach trees..........:)

[txjoker]

Can't you just hire Johnny Quest to come fix your bird problem for you?

[speckle-catcher]

I tried the owl and snakes - and lost another tomato today. Net is up now.

[speckle-catcher]

ya'll can share with the birds. If the birds want me to share with them - they need to help pay for plants, fertilizer, water, etc. :D

[Rubberback]

Thats the way to do it . Now all we need is some rain & we can't buy that at Home Depot.

[BEER4BAIT]

All you need Spec is some rubber snakes and a owl with rotating head. I have lots of tomatos but the birds dont bother them

[speckle-catcher]

picked up 2 rubber snakes and a regular owl over the weekend. I tried every place I could think of, and nobody had a rotating head owl in stock.

I decided I would sacrifice 1 more tomato to see if the snakes and owl would work. I mounted the owl on a pole right above the tomato plants and the birds still came and pecked a tomato...see the pic :D

anyone know where I can pick up a rotating head owl?

[boat_money]

picked up 2 rubber snakes and a regular owl over the weekend. I tried every place I could think of, and nobody had a rotating head owl in stock.

I decided I would sacrifice 1 more tomato to see if the snakes and owl would work. I mounted the owl on a pole right above the tomato plants and the birds still came and pecked a tomato...see the pic :D

anyone know where I can pick up a rotating head owl?

the owl doesn't work either. i tried everything mentioned, and even used my kid's life sized barbie doll, hung a metal plate, hung cd's - nothing worked. the netting worked but was really a pain. another solution, take panty hose and cut into small pieces. before there's even a hint of red, stretch a piece of panty hose around the mater to cover. only "trick" i've found that the mocking birds didn't figure out. looks funny, but tastes good :)

[BEER4BAIT]

check out feed stores I got mine at local feed store. Put it up and get a six pack and a good chair. the birds fight it all day it is a riot.

[bioteacher]

I went a different route this year. I bought plants that produce fruit that's yellow when ripe and haven't had a single peck yet. They'll probably catch on sooner or later. Oh, yeah, if you close your eyes while you chew the yellows taste just as good as the reds.

[speckle-catcher]

2nd plant from left is an heirloom variety call "Mr. Stripey" - it's yellow with pinkish stripes when ripe. 5th from left is yellow pear tomato. All the rest are different varieties of red tomatoes.

Boat - I had good luck with the rotating head owl at the beach prior to Ike. I left it downstairs under the deck on my fish cleaning table. Kept the pigeons and grackles out from under the house (where the grackles especially liked to nest) and they stayed away from (and stopped sh.tting on...) my table. ;)

I found the head of my owl after the storm...but not the body. :D

[boat_money]

2nd plant from left is an heirloom variety call "Mr. Stripey" - it's yellow with pinkish stripes when ripe. 5th from left is yellow pear tomato. All the rest are different varieties of red tomatoes.

Boat - I had good luck with the rotating head owl at the beach prior to Ike. I left it downstairs under the deck on my fish cleaning table. Kept the pigeons and grackles out from under the house (where the grackles especially liked to nest) and they stayed away from (and stopped sh.tting on...) my table. ;)

I found the head of my owl after the storm...but not the body. :D

yeah but those **** mockingbirds are smarter and braver. they'll attack they owl and when it doesn't attack back, buffet time. if they raise youngins on your tomatoes, you have residents for life. how come they don't just eat the darn chile pequenos they've "planted" in my yard?

[dbarham]

fixed em