Birds like my Strawberries? What a surprise!

This one it totally on me! I lost my entire first crop of strawberries because I didn't plan ahead. We live in a wildlife rich area. There are a pair of robins who visit my garden quite regularly with their chicks, I quite enjoy seeing them. Until they started eating my strawberries, then I wasn't so pleased.

The solution was quick & easy! Bird netting. Instead of just throwing them over the tiny plants, I had my husband build some stakes from each side of the bed to keep the entire netting elevated over both strawberries. This makes it easier for me to access the plants under the net (strawberries & my lettuces) as well as prevents the birds from landing near the berries and just poking their beaks through the netting.

Originally I went out looking for a floating row cover to do double duty of keeping bugs off my lettuce, the lettuce cool, and the birds off my berries; but I learned something, big-box garden centre employees don't know what floating row covers are and will look at you like you have two heads when you ask for them. At least that was my experience. Oh well, the netting works just find and the berries are SO good! As an added bonus it keeps the cats out of the garden, but I have very little issue with them pooping in there after chasing them with the hose a couple times.