How to Protect a Garden With Bird Netting
Bird netting is a lightweight net that sits over your garden to protect the plants from birds. Installing nets is an easy way to protect your berries and other edible plants. Bird netting is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, and with proper care, your nets will last for years. Commercial growers often use large posts to net entire fields of crops, but home gardeners can simply drape the netting over plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Select bird netting from your local garden store. These nets have several strings, or strands, woven together rather than just one, and are far more durable than single-strand nets.
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Trim the netting to the size of your garden. Many bird nets are sold in large sizes, so you may not need the whole net for a single garden or plant. If you are netting a larger area, you can leave the net intact.
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Drape the net over plants that need protection. If you are growing fruit or vegetables, you can wait until fruit appears; birds usually won't bother bare plants. Bird netting can be wrapped around trees or larger bushes if draping does not cover enough.
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Leave nets in place during the entire growing season, removing and replacing them as needed for plant maintenance and harvesting.
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Remove bird netting in late summer, after the last harvest. Fold or roll netting for storage, and put the nets indoors for the winter. Use masking tape to mark trimmed nets so you remember where to place them the following summer.
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Check your nets for holes before you put them out each spring. You can reattach broken strings by tying the severed ends together, or taping them together with waterproof tape.
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Tips & Warnings
Bird netting can also be placed over gutters or drainpipes to keep birds from building nests around your home.
