How to Protetct Your Tomatoes from BIRD Damage || Black Gumbo
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- If you grow tomatoes, you have likely experienced the disappointment of coming out to vine-ripened fruits only to discover they have been destroyed by birds. Bird damage in the garden is a frustrating experience. In this video, I will show you how I keep the birds out of my tomatoes and other fruits. We'll talk about exclusion methods and deterrent methods. I believe the exclusion method is the best for preserving your bountiful harvest that you worked so hard to grow. Don't be frustrated at the end!
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Black Gumbo shares our suburban, backyard, sustainable gardening efforts. We work a small-scale, typical Zone 9a garden and raised beds, the kind of gardening accessible to all. We tend to take the slice of life approach and hope you will enjoy our family, our dog, our cooking, our adventures, and occasionally some commentary and advice. We love family, joy and friendship, and we invite you to enjoy these things with us!
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The bird bath works most of the time, it helps to place it in a clump of bushes...the birds prefer the cover and the shaded water is cooler than in the blazing sun. You can discourage them and frustrate them with red plastic Christmas ornaments hung early on the tomato plants. A few times pecking on the plastic discourages them from trying the real ones as they ripen later.
I tried it but didn't have much success. They're pretty wily and clever.
You need to dip them in swirling backwater
One can buy organza fabric and sew it into the appropriate size, or even drape it over the plants and tie it around the base of the plant.
I was having a bunch of bird issues in my garden until a hawk moved in to my neighbors palm tree about 6 weeks ago! It’s the best bird control I’ve found so far lol... I just hope he sticks around!
We have a hawk family across the street. The Mockingbirds attack in in flight. Crazy.
It's so ironic lol. I JUST purchased 2 different sizes of these same bags off Amazon to use to the same purpose and also to make a "sling" for mini melons so they wouldn't fall off the vine. Glad to see I was on the right track! Tulle is also useful to keep birds and cabbage moths out and is cheaper and it doesn't trap the birds like bird netting can sometimes do.
I love all of Phoebe's titles. I'm always watching for that.
Thanks, I know some folks enjoy it. I certainly do. :-)
Birds are smart indeed. I remember using a hose as a snake when reseeding my lawn. It will work until one bird gets brave and the snake doesn’t do anything. Then the rest of them join in. Going to try that bag method on my tomatoes. Thank you!
Scott, I have learned to keep old newspapers sheets to place over and around the ripe'n tomatoes. I very seldom get a bird peck unless a strong wind blows the papers off. Rain does not bother the papers, because by the time they deteriorate, the tomatoes are ready to pick. Cheap and easy to apply. I live in South Louisiana.
Hahah! Same as our Wilson.. birds hang out on top of him. We returned i
Wilson back to Amazon. I’ll try the netting and organzas this year. Thanks for this tips.
I'm one that believes in the bird bath. I've got two. I've never had a bird peck at any of my fruits and I have a pair of mocking birds and pair of cardinals that claimed my yard as their territory and run off any others of their kind. I have bird feeders too. I also rarely have a caterpillar or worm problem because those birds and other kinds of birds will snatch them up in a heartbeat. Now if I could only get birds to eat aphids and slugs. I have use the bird netting to cover my 4X8 raised beds, especially in the winter when the squirrels are going nuts burying and looking for acorns. Winter crops don't need pollinators, so it's no big deal to keep a netting over them all the time.
Thank you. I started my bucket garden in November with no gardening knowledge. Then I found your channel. Now I’ve grown carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes. And my first okra and cowpeas are coming along.
Birdbath works 😁 they’re thirsty. I never have damage to my garden and have bird feeders and bird baths all around it 👍🏼
Thank you for the helpful tips! I was wondering about this, I just planted my first tomatoes last week! Also your dog is so cute!
I have a big fig tree and if I didn't get up at 6 am to pick the fruit the mockingbirds pecked every ripe fig. Last year I had a 10' x 10' x 8' frame built around the tree and put that green bird netting on it. Well, both the squirrels and the mockingbirds just bit through the net to get to the figs. After a week of going outside, opening the door and chasing the birds out and then locating and repairing the holes I just had chicken wire put on the frame. Now they better have wire cutters to get to the figs. Yes, my tomatoes also suffer. This year I have 4 bird baths; one has a solar fountain in it. Hopefully, the sound of the water will attract the birds. I'll also order some organza bags. I'm in the Houston area, too.
When I lived in upstate NY, we had a groundhog who would eat just the bottoms of tomatoes. I suppose that was his height when standing up. He also mowed down lettuce and broccoli seedlings to nothing. A man who wrote for the Farmer's Almanac was on TV and said to place chewing gum around plants to fix the problem. Supposedly, they'd eat it and get sick and go away. I went out and bought a bunch of multi-packs of gum and put it everywhere. Didn't work. The gum was gone, and nothing changed. I had an idea that if he was full before getting in, maybe he'd leave my stuff alone, so we regularly put kitchen scraps and overripe produce outside the fence where he came in. It actually worked :-)
I do this but now I have rodents problem lol
Im glad I found your video! I also have a mockingbird and a cardinal that have used my tomato plants as their own personal buffet. They're too smart! I had used tin foil streamers and reflective tape to no avail. Thanks for the tips!
Good advice on how to keep birds 🦅 away from your tomatoe plants. Ty
I like the idea of using the organza bags
I have an airsoft pistol that shoots little plastic BBs. I've scared hawks and other birds away. It doesn't hurt them, just makes em mad. I've also scared away a few skunks when I lived up in Utah. Non-lethal method but you have to be there when the crime goes down. The green netting sounds better. Another great video, Thanks!
Good to know ....will have to try it .. !
Lot's of info!! Thanks!
Birds are on my last nerve right now, they are taking all my strawberries.
I've placed sheets of tulle over the beds and tacked down corners with landscape pins. Hoping we'll get more strawberries than usual.
@@cltinturkey do the strawberries need pollinators so can’t be covered with netting?
@@Fattiapples The tulle is attached lightly, so pollinators can still fly in and out. I also remove it sometimes during the day for a couple of hours. The key is to have it in place when there's no one in the garden. That's when the birds and other critters tend to swoop in and eat the strawberries. We're just hoping to get most of them, unlike last year.
I used tulle fabric for my blueberries and blackberries bushes but I’m thinking about getting a netting with holes decent enough for bees to enter.
Brood idea keeping birds off the fruit and vegetables.
The bird netting is a great idea,.
Great video!!
Tomatoes are wind pollinators: the wind, blowing on the blossoms, distributes the pollen.
You can actually get a plant to set fruit by simply jiggling the stem with blossoms.
Some of my gardening friends up north use cheesecloth or even tulle fabric to form tents.
Tulle is cheap. I got a 54 inch x 40 yard bolt of it for $9.99 on ebay. I was planning on using it as a row cover for cabbage in the fall. But I might try using some of it to keep the birds away from the tomatoes.
Thanks Scott. Usually I bring in tomatoes with even a faint trace of color to ripen on the table. I'll try the organza bags this year. It makes me crazy that birds just peck once or twice to drain the liquid and then move to the next one. Squirrels also eat a couple of bites and move to the next fruit. The water idea should work, but I haven't had much luck with it. You can hear the critters laughing when you try to outsmart them.
Thank you so much. Don’t lose the green striped shirt. Very flattering.
I think the birds peck the tomatoes because they want tomatoes. I’ve had watering bowls out for years with clean fresh water and although they do patronize those, they love the tomatoes.
The silk organza bags are a great idea. I use the netting too. I used to use egg cartons cut to fit and small styrofoam to go boxes that I would put around the tomatoes with a rubber band to hold them in place but those are more difficult because they leave open areas plus I’ve noticed the tomatoes need the light to ripen better.
Thanks for all the tips.
Great info, thank you for sharing
Thanks for the great information.
Brilliant idea!
Good ideas, Scott. The organza bags work for melons and squash and tree fruit too. I've found bird netting to be very effective. Years ago I hung a few dozen CDs in my garden. It was fun watching the birds hop around between them.
I think I had a rat take a chunk out of my spaghetti squashes right when they were about to ripen, do you think the organza would deter them :/ ?
Pro tip: watch movies on Flixzone. I've been using them for watching all kinds of movies during the lockdown.
@Willie London yup, I've been watching on Flixzone} for months myself :D
Thanks for your tips!! Be well.
Thanks for the wonderful tips. I have tried the bags for my strawberries too. They worked so good. Have a blessed day
I had a doggie who would chase anything from bees to birds .he was fearless .
Brilliant! I love the see through bag idea. Very simple but I imagine it works great, those bloody birds
Red and orange fleece balls. I hang them on my plants right before they start turning. It has forked for 5 years so far. I hang about 5 or 6 on the plant and they come down to eat and it's dry and disappointing. Lol
Thanks for this video. We lost some tomatoes to birds and was looking for a way to protect the remaining tomatoes that are coming in. Will definitely be looking into the bags.
You can also use tulle (material) - Robbie & Gary Gardening use it on a lot - they even wrap their watermelons & mangos with it. A bolt of it cost about $10 on ebay and it comes in different colors.
Yep. She showed me. I just started tomatoes in containers and bought black tulle and wrapped each plant up to the top of the cage
Great tips , thank you
I found some at Dollar Tree and bought like 10 of them. Thx for reminding me. 😆
I’ve missed so many of your videos. Why? Just realized so I’m watching a week or more 😕😕😕😕🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
I've heard the bird baths work better when there is a solar fountain in it. (Or any type of fountain) They are attracted to the sound of trickling water.
I had a solar fountain, never once saw a bird in it in a whole year.
I have a pack of those smaller wedding bags for my figs. I used it last year. They work good. I also put some Irish Spring soap in some to ward off the critters. It seemed to work well.
Where and how do use the soap?
@@billmoore6688 I would cut up some Irish Spring soap and put a few chucks in the small wedding bags and hang it on my containers. It seemed to work keeping the deer, racoons, and squirrels from eating my tomato plants.
Would the soap help deter cats pooping? I’m at my wits end with cat poo in my garden
@@myriadcorp also if it rained would it be bad if the soap melted and went into soil?
@@Fattiapples You can try. The melting of the soap is minimal.
On one hand I think the owl decoy's help a bit. But on the other hand, there is some Great Horned Owls who live in the trees near my garden who may be the actual reason the decoys work.
Thank you
Thank you..
Your smart
Hmmm this might be an alternative. I have the motion sensing sprayers and I swear these things spray me more than anything else!!! 🤣🤣 One day I won’t walk out there and forget to turn them off first!! 😅
Yes the owl is useless in my garden too, i have used tule to protect my fruit and my cabbages and it works , but it tears easy. I'll try the organza bags..Thanks for the tip.👩🏽🌾🙏🏽💝
Big Thumbs Up, that was interesting. When we have a problem, it is with crows and cow birds. They will rip the corn seeds out of the ground or pull the newly germinated plants. That is hard on a small gardener that only grows a small amount. I can remember seeing many a small garden as a kid with pie plates strung on strings as we past by country homes. Take care!
After I prepare the bed and plant the seeds, I place old window screens on top of the soil. Water and sun get through, but it gives the seeds at least a fighting chance to take hold and gain some strength. You could even put bricks or something under the outer edges to raise them up. The seedlings could grow to that height before you removed the screens. Worth a try.
Good tips! I think the organza bags would work on other fruits, like eggplants, that small rodents and my yearly woodchuck like to munch on. I will definitely look for some.
They make huge bags exactly the same as the small bags that will cover your whole plant. I cover my strawberries, peaches, tomatoes, raspberries, blueberries, and sometimes my herbs. They keep squirrels and rats out too. Sometimes they will chew through the net so you might need to put 2 or 3 bags on your fruit bunches. If I didn't have these net bags, I wouldn't have any fruit to eat.
Who makes the large bags?
@@billmoore6688 I am not sure which company made the ones I got. I ordered off of Amazon last year. The ones I purchased are about 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. I have also seen ones as large as 10 feet.
Thanks joe! Rats were eating my winter squash right when they were ripening! Horrible. Maybe I’ll try doing these nets and double or triple layer like you said
@@Fattiapples If you have a friend with a male cat get some used kitty litter. Spread it around the tomato plant. Rats will no longer be a problem. Has to be a male cat.
I'm also going to be using this method to protect against fruit fly here in Australia, as well as using an ecoLure
Howdy from San Marcos. I went out to check the trees in pots and some of them were dug into after I used my fish fertilizer. Ugh. Had to scoop the soil in and water to settle it all down.
It may be squirrels doing the digging. Cinnamon will chase them. They think you are hiding acorns. I use cinnamon when I plant bulbs so they don't dig them up.
Great video. It took me a while to realize how damaging the birds are to my conifer, maple and other seedlings. They don't specifically attack the seedlings, they dig in the soil looking for worms, pulling many seedlings out in the process. Often it goes unnoticed, but in time it adds up
Love my mockingbirds! They are bullies though 😁
Thank you for this video! I have a fox problem (yes, really, northern VA 7B), and also many squirrels and birds too. Last year I lost most of my vegetables and marigolds to the fox. This year, I made a "fence" around everything planted in my raised beds using 3' cut bird nets, 4' tomato stakes and ground staples. But I was worried about the birds with my ripening tomatoes (as you can see, we have a ton of pest pressure here, and that is not even counting bugs/caterpillars/slugs/diseases. Plus it is illegal to trap and release animals in VA). Will be ordering these bags for sure after seeing this video! Thank you. :)
Bird netting is the best bet. I think mocking birds peck tomatoes out of meanness. One fun thing to do is hang plastic tomatoes around the garden. The mocking birds will peck and peck and peck. That tells me they don't want water; they're just being destructive.
Thanks I have had the same problem .. something ate my ripe one while I was waiting a few days before I was going to. Don't know what critter it was.. 🤠
You can buy bolts of tulle real cheap on line (about $10 a bolt ) to protect your fruit trees --robbie and gray gardening--but the bird netting will let in the bees--the tulle will keep out the smaller pests that feed on your fruit!! you should check it out :)
Thank you for this video! Some creature keeps taking big bites out of my tomatoes while they're still green. Hopefully the organza bags will keep them out.
Update: The creature BIT THROUGH THE BAGS TO GET THE TOMATOES!! Argh!!! I don't think this is a bird and we don't have deer in our area. Must be a rabbit or a rodent.
I don't want the birds to get my tomatoes, but I love it when they get the tomato worms.
I got fake snakes at Amazon. It was a big help.
Tiki 71 Arkansas hangs red Christmas balls around in his tomatoes before the tomatoes start turning red. He says the peck the ornaments. And leave his tomatoes alone. When they start turning. Side note. We have box turtles. They will get the low hanging fruit.
Pellet gun.
Birds seem only to plaque my tomatoes & mulberries. Squirrels (and raccoons) are my nemesis!
They love my black sapote, pineapple, jujubes, avocados, wax jambus, papaya, and mangoes.
I don't love them anymore.
Problem here with Mockingbirds is they are the state bird, illegal to shoot them. Certain neighbors see that and I'd get ratted out.
I have an owl too I got from Amazon to scare squirrels
I'm another proponent of bird baths. I've had a bird bath with a solar pump and never had an issue with birds eating any of my fruit. In fact they help quite a bit by eating bugs off the plants. If the birds don't use your bath there's probably something wrong with it... It may be too deep, (try putting some rocks in it) or in a spot they don't feel safe (they like them near a bush or shrub they can escape to if they feel threatened).
Leave some for the birds, Scott. Share the land!
My plan is to try growing enough so everybody gets fed, birds and all. We'll see...
I only have green tomatoes so far and they pecked 3-4 tomatoes.
i have a problem with rats eating my tomatoes when they begin to ripen...so heartbreaking all the pests and disease you need to fight off just to enjoy the fruits of your labor... anyway, i put baggies over my tomatoes as well and it does seem to deter them. do you leave the bag on the whole time until picking time, or remove it each day to allow air flow. thanks for the video and great ideas.
Most commercial birdbaths are too deep. They should be shallow, or at least shallow around the edge. No more than an inch deep.
Netting may keep the Dreaded Moth that lays the eggs the Horn Worms hatch out from. That is. If they have not over wintered next to the tomatoes.
Wanting low acid, I grow a lot of yellow tomatoes & the birds leave them alone. Also I use tulle purchased inexpensively from eBay by the bolt to cover many crops eg squash & blackberries.
My entire yard is netted. I have a group of magpies and a group of small birds and they were all over my plants. My plants are still little so net is EVERYWHERE lol
Water fountains keep the birds occupied for drinks and baths. Has to be in the shade. Running water always works. They never bother my tomatoes.
Got 11 cats. No problems with birds or any other small critters in my garden.
I'm thinking the bird bath will work only if the bird bath is there before you begin your garden. They'd be mire used to the water source. Just a thought
Blessings
I’m going to try the organza bag method this year. I trie the bird netting and a poor lizard got caught in it. I’m not willing to use it when it kills the animals so I hope the organza bags work.
What type of tomatoes are those? Would love to grow some cherry toms like that. I had my first ripe tomato that I was going to pick the next day and went out there to pick it and there was a big hole in it..so sad..this is my first year growing some vegetables. That bird netting is great idea. I have a challenge though of having all my toms in grow bags..dwarf type. I have to move my bags 3 times a day to follow what little sun I have in my back yard. I will have to see if the netting will be able to go with the bags. Thanks so much for sharing this.
The variety is Edox from Johnny's Seeds.
We think alike, sir. I’m using net plus bricks over my cages. 👍
Scott, is there a best time to use the bags? Wait until there is some color or put it on sooner?
I wait for color.
Good ifo. Are those «silkbags» airtight??
No they breath quite nicely.
For me, netting is the ONLY solution to birds. It helps if you take the time to fit your nets to your growing area so you can reuse it next year.
Maybe something different than a bird? I picked a nice big red German Johnson and something sucked out all the water from the stem end!!
Have you seen this? Maybe that's how they do it.
I use a Radio put it on a talk station
I use that to repel neighbors 😁
How about using the bags that you can get from the grocery store to put the produce in?
If its the same we have here, solid plastic, the issue would be no air flow, possible overheating.
@@ScottHead oh okay didn't think about the airflow
Paint rocks red and put throughout your garden, the birds will come and peck at them and can't get anything and will leave.
What kind of tomato plants are those in the containers?
Roof rats and possums are my problem in Corpus Christi. I’ve tried a lot of things some work most don’t. Traps seem to work the best. Any ideas?
Traps and pellet rifle.
I'm in Corpus. I had what I believe was an opossum last year eat my only Kajari Melon 😪😪 but my melon is already producing well and my Celebrity tomatoes just started to turn this weekend, so I'm going to check dollar tree for these bags.
Will the organza bags work on ears of sweet corn as well?
Don't know, seems you would have to know if the ears had already been pollinated before bagging them.
@@ScottHead True. It seems like a good idea so ill have to experiment. My corn bed got decimated by squirrels last year so im looking into options.
Buy tulle at the fabric store. Cheep! lol
What size are those bags?
I don't remember, 6x10 or something? They sell multiple sizes.
Have you ever thought of starting worm bins in your beds like a keyhole bed?
I have, but finding room for worm bins is low on the priority list.
There's a netting they sell at tractor supply, larger and more steady than bird netting, I'm using it for fence. The animals hate it, even the chickens got tangled up and are staying away from it.
I wonder if a squirrel would tare st the bag to get to my yummy loquats. I only got one last year and this year they left me none.
I have squirrels and a big loquat tree - this last summer I extended an offer to my neighbors to come pick loquats I had so many. Guess my squirrels don't like loquats.
Mockingbirds are brave or stupid however you want to look at it! The Mockingbird next door swoops down attacking the cat!!
What size bag is that?
Don't remember, 9x12 or close to it.
Will nets prevent pollinators?
Tomatoes are self pollinating so no worries there. Bees and flies can get through bird netting so its not a bad material for other crops too.
Hi 👋 I don't believe it's because they're thirsty. They're eating the green ones and this pisses me, not getting a chance to ripen🤨😭🇹🇹
If you have indeterminate tomatoes, how do you deal with the net if they want to keep growing?
I don't cover the indeterminates. Too much growth as you say.
@@ScottHead do you just let them get eaten then?
Yes, or if its a nice fruit cluster you can cover the fruit with an organza bag. This year bird pressure hasn't been too bad.
Birds tear through unfortunately