How to Protect Garden Berries

Using Bird Netting

Buy bird netting. Bird netting has ¼ inch holes, making it near impossible for a bird or squirrel to get into the netting. Use commercial bird netting made of plastic or nylon. You can find bird netting online or at your local hardware store. Buy enough bird netting to cover the entire berry plant, or row of berry plants, in your garden. You can also use chicken wire over the berries. Chicken wire can be hard to drape over the berries so use this material with caution.

Install poles or stakes along the berry bushes. Dig small, deep holes and place five to seven foot poles made of wood, bamboo, or metal into the holes. You may need to use a shovel or pickaxe to make the holes, depending on how hard the ground is. Arrange the poles along the berry bushes, lashing them together to create a teepee shape at the end of each row. You can then make V-shapes with the poles along the center of the berry bushes. You can also use wooden stakes to install the netting over the berry bushes. Make sure the wooden stakes are tall enough to allow the netting to drape over the berries.

Secure the netting over the poles. Drape the bird netting over the poles. Make sure the netting covers the entire berry bush from top to bottom. Use staples or upside down flower pots to keep the netting in place. Make sure the netting is firmly attached to the poles and there are no holes or gaps between the poles and the netting.

Check the netting for any trapped birds or animals. Once the netting has been installed over the garden berries, check it periodically for any birds or squirrels that get trapped in the netting. You will need to remove them to ensure they can get back to their nesting area. You should also confirm that the netting is secure and has not shifted or moved around. You do not want any birds or squirrels to find an open spot in the netting and get at the berries.

Setting Up Decoys

Use plastic snakes. Decoys are a good way to scare away rodents and pests from eating your berries. Get cheap plastic snakes in bright colors that are realistic looking from afar. Put them in the garden just as the berries start to ripen. Place them all around the berry bushes in areas where they are easy to spot. Move them around every few days in different spots in the garden. Once the harvest is over, remove the plastic snakes so the birds and squirrels do not get used to them being in the garden.

Use plastic owls. Set out the decoy owls the same way you would decoy snakes. Place them on a perch above the berry bushes in plain sight. Move them around every few days in different spots in the garden to keep away pests.

Put out shiny pinwheels. Shiny pinwheels will reflect light and create noise in the garden, which will deter birds and squirrels. Place the pinwheels on stakes or fences near the berry bushes right as they start to ripen. Make sure they are positioned so they will be exposed to wind. When the harvest is done, put the pinwheels away so pests do not get too used to their presence. As an alternative to pinwheels, you can hang CD-Roms from string on stakes by the berry buses to deter birds.

Create a decoy food area. Create a food station far away from the berries in your garden so squirrels and birds can feed somewhere else. Have sunflower seeds, peanuts, and food corn in a feeder in an isolated corner of the garden. You could even plant some tomatoes to feed squirrels. This can encourage birds and squirrels to eat only from the decoy food area and leave your berry plants alone. Keep in mind a decoy food area could attract other animals to your garden that you may not want around. Weigh this risk before you set up the food area.

Applying Repellent Spray

Use predator pee. The scent of urine from dogs, cats, or wolves scares animals like squirrels, rabbits, and deer. You can buy predator pee in vials online or from pet stores and spray it around the garden. Only apply it on spots that you do not plan to eat, such as the stalks or ground by the berry plants. You will need to reapply predator pee after it rains to ensure the scent is present in the garden.

Try peppermint oil. A mixture of peppermint oil and water can be sprayed in the garden to repel birds and squirrels. Mix a few drops of peppermint oil in water and use a spray bottle to apply it to the parts of plant you are not going to eat, such as the stalks or leaves. Make sure you apply the peppermint oil mixture to the berry bushes again after it rains.

Apply vinegar spray. A mixture of white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar and water can help to deter squirrels and birds from picking at your garden berries. Combine one part water with one part vinegar. Spray the mixture on the stalks or leaves of the berry plants. Do not get any spray on parts of the plant that you plan to eat. Avoid a high concentration of vinegar, and don’t spray during the hottest part of the day to prevent leaf burn. Always apply the vinegar spray to the plants again after it rains to ensure the scent remains in the garden.