[Arid_gardener] Karen - preventing birds from eating your tomatoes

[Genie]

Message: 5

>Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 13:10:41 EDT
>From: KLH718 at aol.com
>Subject: [Arid_gardener] More Tomato Questions
>To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
>Message-ID: <385.29e098a.319a1011 at aol.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>The birds are starting to eat my tomatos. How do I prevent this?
>Thanks!!  Karen  Litchfield Park
>
>  
>
Dear Karen,

You have three choices.  Choose the method based upon how/where you are 
growing the tomatoes;  i.e. in the ground,
a raised bed, or in large containers: 
1) Chicken wire - easy to work with, easy to snip into the desired 
length and width, cheap, and simple twist-ties can be
used to fasten pieces together -- for a custom cover or fit.

2) Reemay cloth or gauze/cheesecloth (available at Wal-Mart type stores, 
by the yard) - at this time of year, choose a
lightweight covering.  What the birds cannot see... they will not 
attack.  We have used both.  Cheap, lightweight Reemay
can be purchased online.  Fasten either cloth to wooden posts.  If that 
isn't practical, drape it over the plants and use those
office clips that open like clothespins -- LOOSELY winding it around the 
base of your plants, then clip the fabric together.

3) Plastic Netting - this works best when you grow veggies in big wooden 
barrels with rabbit fencing attached to the barrel,
or raised beds -- where you can set up four sides of fence, draping the 
net over the top and sides, then fastening it. 
Personally, I am not too fond of using netting, except as a last 
resort.  Living in a rural area, we have had rattlesnakes, birds,
and fat lizards get stuck in the netting - and let me tell you, Karen - 
rattlesnakes and lizards REALLY STINK when they die!
Moreover, it's a disgusting mess... to remove their decomposing corpse 
from the net.

Whatever you choose, Good Luck!
Kindest Regards,  Genie -- in rural Tucson    
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