Put shallow birdbaths of water out for them. Supposedly they are pecking them for the juice. They are thirsty. They typically don't eat tomatoes. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year GardenerGet a few old CDs and hang them on light string or fishing line so they are free to spin around in the wind . Birds do not like the flashing reflection. I had cockatoos stealing my passionfruit until I tried the CD trick. It worked immediately.
Paul Cordell, Nth. Qld. Australia.
Thanks, but I allready have a birdbath out for them. Maybe my mistake is that I put out bird food for them every day...Some thanks I get from them! Jerry Shirley, Long Island NY
Hey Thanks, I'll try that. Jerry
Apparently Northeast birds are different from Northwest birds.
I have both at least one bird bath and bird feeder in my garden at all times and have never been bothered with birds bothering the veggies. The only exception to that may have been some bean sprouts eaten last year but am not certain of that since there were far too many squirrels in the yard at the time, and they could have been the culprits. It wasn't repeated this year, and the same types of birds were around but far fewer squirrels.
Oddly enough, though we have crows in the area, none have been observed in my yard. Even the starlings have stopped coming into the yard as they did the first two or three years; they still come in, but not nearly as often .
I do make it a point to keep water in the bird bath and have had one in the same place for the past four years. Sometimes I have two or three, but the first one is always in the same place and is very visible from the air. There is also shelter for them next to it in the form of bushes so they have a landing point near the bird bath. This spring, I added one of my home-built tomato cages to it for added protection from cats. So, now, my main bird bath looks like a bird cage with 6-inch mesh. The birds love to sit on the wires and have adopted it as a favorite observation perch.
Early in the garden season, the birds use the tomato cages for perches, but that soon changes as the tomato plants grow, and the birds seem to never re-visit the cages.
If you don't have shelter for the birds (tree, bush, etc.) close to the bird bath, perhaps changing that might be helpful. Good luck. :-)
Glenna
Yes, It's a large plastic flower pot base. I get at least 100 birds, squirrels and nine wild turkeys every day. This is about seventy feet from my garden.
Yesterday, I hung up, on lines of string along the rows of tomato and pepper plants, 26 silver CD disks. These I hung on about 15 inches of string. I'm hoping that these will protect, what's left of my tomatoes, (10 percent of what I planted). The peppers are still green so the birds have not bothered them yet.
Jerry, Shirley, Long Island, NY
This is an interesting discussion. I have neither pecking nor scarecrows (CD's) but I do have a birdbath and I do feed the birds. I want birds in my garden because I want them to eat some of the bugs and leave their droppings behind so I feed them seed right at the edge of the garden.
Are the birds perhaps pecking at bugs on the tomatoes? Are you certain that birds are doing the damage and not a squirrel or some mice? I do get occaisional squirrel bites on things but not enough to bother trapping the rascals. I've gardened in this location for a few years and had other gardens and, in every case, putting water out for the birds (kept fresh daily, ideally kept moving with a steady drip off the end of a garden hose) has stopped the tomato-pecking problem cold in its tracks.
Step into your garden and take a look around. Something there is eating your stuff. Since birds are going to visit your garden (and this is not a bad thing), try to make it a hospitable place for them. If you determine that the source of the problem is a rodent of some sort, spray your stuff with a hot-pepper tea.( * )
Your answer is out there ... looking you in the face.
Bill
( * ) put several jalapenos / habaneros through a blender with some water. Strain (I use old pantyhose bottoms stretched over the opening of my sprayer). Fill the sprayer with water and add a spreader/sticker such as a dollop of molasses or a tablespoon of Palmolive (green) dishwashing soap. Drench the entire plant (also wards off a lot of insects), wetting it to the point of running off. Repeat as needed - most likely just two or three weekly applications will take care of things. Remember to rinse veggies before eating.
Just thought of this...if the birds are numerous and there are turkeys...perhaps there is a type of bird dominating the bath. Some smaller type can't get to the water so it settles for tomatoes. Just an idea, but maybe a couple of them will satisfy the need. You certainly have a lot of birds.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
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