Gardening is something that many people are passionate about. You might garden simply because you love plants, but other people do it so that they can grow tasty vegetables that they can eat.
It’s going to be a good idea to protect your plants no matter what you’re putting in your garden area. If you don’t, then you might find that birds will mess things up in your garden.
Did you walk outside and discover that many of your plants have been ravaged by birds? This is frustrating, but it’s not something that you simply have to accept.
There are methods for keeping birds out of your garden. Continue reading to get important tips for how to keep your plants safe from the local bird population.
1 – Protect Plants Using Bird Netting
There might be specific plants in your garden that you’re worried about protecting. The best way to go about doing this is to place bird netting around the plants.
You can buy bird netting that is made with a fine mesh so that birds cannot get through it. If you place the netting over the top of the plants, then you’ll be able to keep birds from coming by and eating things.
It’s a really good way to ensure that your plants won’t get turned into a meal for the local bird population. You can easily set the bird netting up so that it surrounds the plants without actually touching them.
Build a simple framework around the plants so that you can drape the netting over that. This keeps the netting from being a hindrance to the growth of the plants in any way.
You can make the framework using tall stakes, fence posts, or even bamboo poles. It’s well worth taking the time to do this when you’re worried about protecting your garden.
2 – Use a Bird Repellent Spray
Bird repellent spray is something that many people think of first when looking into options to stop pesky birds. If birds have become a problem in your area, then you might want to do whatever you can to keep them away.
There are sprays out there that contain things that birds won’t like. You won’t kill the birds by using a spray such as this so you don’t have to worry about being cruel.
The sprays are simply designed to make the birds feel uncomfortable. They will not want to get near areas that have been sprayed with this repellent.
You can use this spray without having to worry about it negatively impacting your pets. It doesn’t hurt farm animals or pets in any way.
If you spray this repellent at various spots in your yard, then you should be able to keep birds from coming around too much. You’ll likely need to spray every so often because it will wash away when it rains.
3 – Hang Reflective Tape Near the Garden Area
Did you know that reflective tape is capable of scaring away birds? You can easily go out to the store and buy reflective tape that is specifically meant to scare birds away from certain spots.
Birds get scared by reflective things because they can’t process the reflections properly. When a bird sees reflections, it’s going to get confused and this can negatively impact its ability to fly.
Essentially, hanging this reflective tape near the garden will make it so that birds won’t be as likely to stop by. They’ll be rather inconvenienced by the tape and that will help to keep your plants safe.
The only issue will be finding a good spot to hang the tape in the garden. If your garden is in the middle of the yard, then this might be an issue.
You could always try to hang reflective tape from a nearby tree or something such as that, though. It’s also easy enough to stake some poles into the ground and hang reflective tape from those.
4 – Other Reflective Items Will Work
You don’t specifically need reflective tape to scare birds off. It’s also going to be possible to get good results using reflective things that you have around the house.
For example, you could repurpose old mylar balloons to scare the birds away from the garden. Simply tack some of these balloons to a nearby surface and the reflections will do a good job of repelling birds.
Another idea is to use old CDs or DVDs that you don’t have any use for. If you have an old spindle of CD-Rs that you never used from the 2000s, then this could be a chance to finally put them to use.
Of course, hanging a bunch of old CDs in the yard isn’t going to look aesthetically pleasing. Some people will shy away from this idea simply because they want the yard to look as presentable as possible.
Just know that you can use household things that are capable of reflecting light. If you don’t want to go out to buy reflective tape, then you do have other options.
5 – Wind Chimes
If you have some wind chimes that you can utilize, then that could work to keep birds away from the garden, too. The idea is the same as using any other type of reflective object.
Wind chimes are reflective and they also make noises when they touch each other. The noises and the reflections will work to keep birds away from your plants.
If you can place a few wind chimes around the yard, then this might help to solve your problems. Many people use wind chimes as a part of an effective deterrent strategy.
This is especially appealing when you want to hang something in the yard that doesn’t look out of place or ugly. Wind chimes are quite beautiful and they won’t look silly the way that random hanging CDs would.
6 – Predator Decoys
Predator decoys will be very good for scaring off birds from the garden. There are many different predators that birds will fear, but one of the best examples is the owl.
Owl decoys can be placed near your plants or on fence posts to try to keep birds away. You might want to use multiple owl decoys if you have a very large garden area.
Birds will eventually realize that these decoys are fake after some time. You can keep them from getting wise to your ways by moving the decoys around, though.
Try to position the owl decoys somewhere new every so often. It’ll keep the birds nervous and they won’t want to get too close to the owls.
These decoys are fairly cost-effective when you look into them as well. It’s worth pairing this idea with the bird netting to protect your garden area.
7 – Painting Eyes on Balloons Might Work Too
What if you don’t have a lot of money to spend? Is there still a way that you can use the basic idea of scaring birds away by making them think that a predator is nearby?
Yes, you can absolutely do this so long as you have some balloons and a bit of paint. This might sound strange at first, but you can paint eyes on balloons and then place them near the garden area to scare birds away.
When birds see the eyes on the balloons they’re going to assume that the balloons are predatory birds such as owls. In all likelihood, they’re going to stay away from the balloons just to be safe.
If the birds do happen to go up to the balloons, then the balloons will pop and this will scare the living daylights out of them. Birds will flee as soon as the balloons pop because they won’t know what the noise is all about.
This is a good way to try to protect your garden area when you’re low on cash. It can work in a similar way as the predator decoys, but you’ll just be utilizing things that you have around the house.
8 – Try Ultrasonic Bird Repellent Devices
Keeping birds away will be easier if you make use of modern technology. In recent years, companies have developed simple but effective ultrasonic repellent devices.
These are designed to play noises that birds and other animals don’t like. You can place them at specific locations to keep birds away.
Best of all, many of the most popular devices are solar-powered for your convenience. You can simply stake the device into the yard near the garden area and it’ll remain powered so long as it gets enough sunlight.
The cost of these repellent devices will be low enough that it’ll be a practical choice for most people, too. Devices such as this work really well and it could be a simple way to keep birds from messing with your garden too much.
It’s also notable that devices such as these can scare away other pests that bother people’s plants. You can keep rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and other animals from munching on your crops as well.
9 – Dogs
Dogs can do a great job of scaring birds and making them want to stay away. If you can let your dog spend more time outside near the garden, then it’ll bark at the birds and make them uncomfortable.
A dog is a real predator that the birds will be scared of. This is not a fake threat and the birds will understand that they need to keep their distance from dogs.
The problem is that you’re likely not going to keep your dog outside at all times. Some people do have dogs that live outside, but in some places, it isn’t really possible to keep dogs outside permanently.
Regardless, it’s good to know that your dog can help you out a bit. Consider letting the dog out to play in the yard to keep the birds from getting too comfortable.
10 – Place Bird Feeders Away From the Garden
You could try to help the local bird population instead of hindering them. The birds just want to eat food and you can give them food to keep them away from the garden area.
Placing bird feeders in another section of the yard will ensure that the birds have what they need. If you make it hard for the birds to eat the plants in the garden, then it’ll make sense for them to take the easy food that is present in the bird feeders.
If you’re able to take the time to keep the bird feeders stocked with birdseed, then you’ll be able to keep the birds interested in them. They won’t bother with your garden area nearly as much.
Of course, you’ll still want to use the deterrents near the garden. If the deterrents aren’t present, then it’ll be easy for the birds to mess with your garden and they’ll start bothering things again.
You could also install a bird bath on the opposite side of the yard from the garden. This should keep the birds in that area instead of making them want to go near the garden.
Final Thoughts
After learning more about what you can do to keep birds away from the garden, it’ll be easier to take action. You have plenty of things that you can do that will make a difference.
Even just owning a dog is going to be helpful when you’re trying to scare birds. Let your dog out sometimes and it’ll make the birds less likely to come near your yard.
If you wish to protect your plants, then installing bird netting around the plants will be wise. You can build a simple frame so that you can install the netting over the top of the plants without inhibiting plant growth.
You can spray bird repellent spray if you’d like to. Many people choose to use methods that scare birds away instead, though.
Placing reflective tape near the garden will confuse the birds and make them uncomfortable. You can also use wind chimes if you’d like to hang something that looks prettier.
Ultrasonic repellent devices can produce sounds that will scare birds away from the area. They’re easy to use and can be staked into the ground right by your garden.
Putting some predator decoys near the plants will keep birds from wanting to get too close. Owl decoys work really well for this purpose.
Just use whatever options you think will be the best for your situation. You’ll be able to keep the garden safe and you won’t have to worry so much about your crops getting ruined in the future.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.