[Arid_gardener] holes in fruit

[Olin Miller]

We have the 1-inch chicken netting around the thistle feeders.  The 
Lesser Goldfinches can get through it but the House Finches can't if you 
use the rigid netting from the Ace/TrueValue stores.  But the House 
Finches can get through the softer pliable 1-inch netting from Home 
Depot.

Since the finches can't read, they probably don't know they are supposed 
to primarily be seed eaters and only occasionally feed on worms and 
caterpillars if here aren't enough seeds around to satisfy.  They 
supposedly do not eat fruit but are probably going in for the moisture. 
We have a fountain near the thistle feeders and the goldfinches get 
water from it.

BTW, yesterday there was 1/2 of what looked like a corn earworm sticking 
out of one of my 3 1/2 inch Celebrity tomatoes.

Olin
================================================

----- Original Message ----- From: <KLH718 at aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 8:01 AM
>I have finally figured out that the holes in my tomatoes are from 
>finches.
> I've seen them blithely going in & out of the 1-in. "bird screen" 
> which, of
> course, doesn't screen the little guys from anything.
>
> Question - is it possible that they are making the holes in my 
> peppers, too?
> Or is it likely that it is blossom end rot?  Some of the holes appear 
> to be
> from a brown spot (which, I'm assuming, is the end rot) but others 
> look like
> punctures.
>
> I don't want to put everything under a roof.  I like the outdoors. 
> Was it
> strips of mylar that someone recommended to ward off the birds? 
> Vegetable
> gardening is somewhat new to me; I can do wildflowers and roses just 
> fine but
> bringing something to harvest is a little more complicated and I'm sad 
> that every
> single beautiful potential has been "violated".  I love my little 
> feathered
> neighbors but, jeez, couldn't they just eat my desert artichokes ?!?
>
> Karen
> 85340
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> _______________________________________________
> Arid_gardener mailing list
> Arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
> http://CALS.arizona.edu/mailman2/listinfo/arid_gardener
>