The Clever Trick You Can Try To Stop Birds & Squirrels From Eating Your Garden Fruit

Rather than buying fruit from the store, you might like the idea of home-grown strawberries instead. When you learn how to grow and care for a strawberry plant, you may be able to enjoy fruit throughout the summer, depending on the cultivar. As you're getting ready to pick fruit from your strawberry plants, some creatures in your yard may unfortunately have the same idea. This includes fruit-eating birds and squirrels. While there are many tips for protecting your garden and implementing humane ways to keep critters out of your yard, know that none are 100% foolproof. One anecdotal tip involves painting rocks red to help trick birds and squirrels, and it might be used with other strawberry-protecting strategies.

If you're noticing large holes in your strawberries, chances are that either a bird or a rodent has gotten to the fruit before you've had a chance to pick it. Frustration can be an understatement in this situation after you've done all the work of preparing and taking care of your strawberry plants in hopes of enjoying the sweet and juicy fruit. To help prevent future incidents, you might consider tricking birds and squirrels by painting red rocks to look like strawberries. The idea here is that either animal might attempt to eat the decoy version and be less inclined to try to eat the real thing. Some gardeners have reported success with this strategy, noting that the extra time and effort spent on painting rocks helped save their fruit. It's important to proceed cautiously and to know that this strategy is not broadly recommended by scientific or academic organizations, though.

When trying the painted rock strategy for saving your strawberries, you will first need to gather a few supplies. This includes small rocks, a paintbrush, a waterproof sealant, and red and white paints, such as acrylic-based versions. It's also important to choose rocks that are similar in size to the strawberries. You can then have some fun painting the rocks to look like strawberries, including using white paint to paint on some look-alike seeds. The amount of aesthetics you choose is up to you, as it's unlikely that squirrels or birds will be art critics here. Once you've allowed the rocks to dry, you can then place them around your plants as decoys before your berries ripen. In theory, if all goes well, the squirrels and birds may mistake the rocks for berries and then move on once they realize these aren't real fruit.

As you're waiting to determine whether this method does indeed deter birds and squirrels from eating strawberries, you might also consider other ways you can help protect your plants as part of a multi-part strategy. While not convenient during picking, netting is commonly recommended to protect berries. Just make sure that the mesh is ¼-inches or smaller in diameter. You might also consider other bird deterrents, such as reflective ribbon or tape, which may temporarily scare larger birds, as well as the best ways to keep squirrels away from fruit trees more generally. Above all else, make sure you pick any ripe strawberries as soon as you are able.