How To Keep Birds Out Of Strawberry Plants (Easy Tips)
This post may contain affiliate links, my full disclosure can be read here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Struggling with how to keep birds out of strawberry plants? Learn simple, effective strategies to keep birds from eating your strawberries. So you can savor the fruits of your labor!
Gardening comes with its own set of unique challenges, doesn’t it? One common problem that might leave you feeling frustrated is how to keep birds out of your strawberry plants.
It’s no secret that birds adore these sweet, red berries as much as we do. After all, can anyone truly resist a ripe strawberry?
Still, it can be a bit deflating to find those pesky birds feasting on your berries, especially after weeks of tending and nurturing your plants. I remember the first time I grew a nice patch of strawberries. I was so excited when the berries were finally ready to harvest.
But as I went to pick them I found many were filled with holes, sometimes half the berry was gone! It wasn’t a very good berry harvest that year. But I didn’t give up and kept trying ways to protect my berries.
The good news? This is a very common problem but it has easy solutions.
Learn effective ways to protect your plants including bird-friendly deterrents, physical barriers, effective scare tactics, and even smart gardening approaches. All are designed to protect your precious strawberries while still being able to enjoy birds in your yard.
Why Birds Eat Strawberries
What makes strawberry plants such a target for birds?
Birds have exceptional vision and can see small, colorful objects from far away.
Beyond the bright colors strawberries also offer birds a nutritious snack. Plus, the plant’s low-growing nature provides an easy, ground-level feast that is easy to access.
Watch out for bird species like robins, sparrows, crows, and jays, which are particularly fond of strawberries. Their sharp beaks and relentless determination can decimate a strawberry crop in no time.
The Importance of Timing
To protect your strawberry plants, it’s important to know when birds are most likely to strike. This normally happens when the fruits start to ripen and turn red in the early summer.
If you are using a form of covering you’ll need to wait until after the strawberry flowers have been pollinated and set their fruit. If you cover the plants too early in the season the bees won’t be able to pollinate the flowers.
Keep an eye on your plants and when you see the berries starting to change from green to red you’ll know it is time to protect them.
Physical Barriers: Your First Line of Defence
Using Netting to Protect Your Strawberry Plants
I’ve found the most effective way to protect strawberries from hungry birds is by using bird netting. It’s a fine mesh netting that is too small for birds to get through to your plants. This easy solution is a simple, economical, and highly effective method.
Just make sure that your strawberry cover is suspended above the plants on hoops or stakes if you just lay it over your plants the birds and other small animals can easily reach the berries.
Also, you want to make sure the edges are firmly attached to the ground or sides of your garden beds.
You can use wooden boards, flower pots, or garden staples to hold it down. This will help keep birds and other garden pests from getting under the netting or reaching through the net.
Building a Fruit Cage
If you need a more permanent solution you can build a cage over your strawberry bed. A simple wooden fruit frame with a chicken wire top keeps birds off your plants.
As a bonus, you can add some plastic on the top and turn it into a cold frame. This can help get your berry plants growing earlier in the spring.
If you want a lightweight version you can use PVC pipe with chicken wire or garden netting over top instead. It might not last as long as a wooden cage but it’s easier to move when you need to weed or harvest.
Scare Tactics to Deter Birds
The Old-School Scarecrow: Does It Really Work?
A classic in the garden the good old scarecrow has been used to scare off birds for years from gardens and fields. But does it really work? Yes actually it does but birds can get used to it quickly, so you need to move it around your garden now and then.
So if you make a scarecrow make sure you can easily move it around your garden. Also, consider adding some shiny things to it. The birds are more likely to be afraid of the scarecrow if it’s moving and reflecting light in some way.
Reflective Objects
Shiny, reflective materials can scare birds, deterring them from your garden. Consider hanging old CDs, aluminum foil strips, a pie plate, or specially designed scare tape.
The unexpected flashes of light from shiny objects can mimic the danger signals of predator movements, keeping birds at bay.
If you want something that looks prettier in your garden try garden pinwheel spinners. You can find them in many colors and patterns, place them around your garden where they can easily catch the wind.
Fake Berries
This is a fun and creative way to trick the birds. Gather a bunch of rocks and paint them to look like strawberries. Then place them around your plants before your real strawberries are ready.
When the birds try to peck them they will get a big surprise! Making strawberry rocks is a fun project you can do with your kids one afternoon.
This idea can help confuse birds and train them that the red things in your garden aren’t food.
Wind Chimes
Sounds can also be an effective scare tactic. There are many devices that mimic predator calls, and ultrasonic noise generators that can help to deter birds. But since we have pets I prefer to use simple wind chimes.
Wind chimes look beautiful in the garden and come in many styles. Their sound and movement can help to scare away birds but don’t bother my ears or our pets.
Decoy Predators: Owls, Hawks, and Snakes
Decoy predators like fake owls, hawks, or snakes can help frighten off smaller birds. These are natural predators of birds, hanging predator inflatables or plastic decoys in your garden will help scare off some birds.
But eventually, they will learn that plastic owls aren’t real so don’t forget to move the decoys around to enhance their believability occasionally.
Welcoming Bird Predators: How Cats and Dogs Can Help
Your pets can become your allies in the garden. Cats and dogs, being natural predators, can scare birds away. Often just their presence can often be enough to keep birds from coming too close to your strawberries.
When we have cats spend time in our gardens the damage from birds and rodents goes way down. Once birds and other wildlife know you have a cat or dog in your garden they see it as a threat and will try to avoid those areas.
How to Distract Birds with Feeders and Baths
Often birds eat strawberries simply because they are thirsty and fruit is a good source of water. Instead, why not provide an easy source of water by adding a birdbath to your garden? Set it up away from your berry bushes and make sure to change the water often.
Offering birds alternative food sources can also keep them away from your strawberries. Placing a bird feeder on the other side of your yard can be a great way to encourage birds to go after the easy seed meal and leave your strawberry beds alone.
Over many years of growing strawberries and other fruit, I’ve found using a combination of methods works best. In our garden that’s bird netting, encouraging our pets to guard the garden, and feeling the neighborhood birds in another area are the most effective methods.
With just a little work you can minimize damage from a flock of birds and still have a bountiful harvest of strawberries from your backyard garden.
Easy Strawberry Recipes
Connect With Homestead Acres!
Be sure to follow me on social media, so you never miss a post!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Visit my Amazon store to find all my favorite gardening, homesteading tools, and gadgets plus all of my printed garden books and journals!
Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
