Protecting strawberries

[Guest guest]

> Several possibilities:

>

> 1. Netting. We have a neighbor who is a florist and has a garden and

> fruit trees. He covers the fruit trees with netting to keep away the

> birds. It is woven with big holes in it, something like a fishing net.

> Since we live next to the ocean, perhaps it is fish net.

 

Netting works but it is relatively costly and if trees are netted summer

pruning is difficult.

 

> 2. Plant trees for the birds. I have heard that you can plant a very

> bland-flavored berry such as the mulberry. Birds prefer this to the

> berries which humans like. They like strawberries, but if they can get

> mulberries, they like them better. (Obviously, this solution is not one

> that will work for you this year.)

 

Sacrilege, mulberries are delicious. I have spent hours in mulberry trees

picking buckets of them. This was in a hot dry climate and maybe the berries

are sweeter there. It was a grape growing area. We have recently planted a

mulberry called the King Shatoot, it has long white white berries up to

100mm long with sugar content of 30%. maybe I will use strawberries as a

diversion crop to keep the birds away :-)

So mulberries are a great bird attractor but then what can we use to keep

the birds from the mulberries? Maybe they will leave enough mulberries and

strawberries for us if we plant alaeagnus a fruiting tree that fixes

nitrogen. The birds reportedly like the fruit but again so do humans, what

to do, the list can go on endlessly but at least there will be plenty of

variety to eat.

 

> 3. Cats.

 

Cats eat birds but they also eat lizards and frogs. Birds, lizards and frogs

are predators of insects, slugs and snails so I deter cats at all costs.

 

> 4. Dogs.

 

Great for eating that vermin cat :-)

 

Your servant, Gokula das.