When I planted lettuce a while back, I put plastic netting over one bed, and hung a plastic owl in the other. Guess which lettuce has survived the birds...........
This is lettuce in the first bed, under its plastic netting protection.
This is lettuce, planted at the same time, in the next bed. Yep, look closely, that's lettuce on the right side of the photo. Pecked almost to the ground. This bed will be replanted this week, the owl will by fired from his job, and there will be netting protecting the bed.
This is lettuce in the first bed, under its plastic netting protection.
This is lettuce, planted at the same time, in the next bed. Yep, look closely, that's lettuce on the right side of the photo. Pecked almost to the ground. This bed will be replanted this week, the owl will by fired from his job, and there will be netting protecting the bed.
I'd fired him too. He didn't do a very good job.
ReplyDeleteRobin, I even turned his "hoo-hoo" back on!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your owl isn't quite realistic enough to fool the birds. I know how you feel though,I spend half my life trying to outwit birds, squirrels, mice etc, etc....
ReplyDeleteHahahha, you're owl is just like mine. Slacking on the job. At least yours is cuter.
ReplyDeleteSilly owl must be sleeping on the job.
ReplyDeleteNetting will solve the problem.... Pity the owl, for all his stone rock effort, he never turn back, never blink, he never make a fuss, and yet sacking is imminent..... haha. ~bangchik
ReplyDeleteOh, wish it was not a failed experiment.
ReplyDeleteCottage Garden Farmer, I have squirrels running across my fence all day long, but the dogs do a pretty good job of keeping them out of the garden. I have picked a couple of tomatoes that looked like a little nip had been taken from them. I hope I don't have to fire my dogs!
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Meemsnyc, he is a cute little guy. You can't tell by the photo that he's hanging there, not sitting. I was hoping he'd move a bit in the breeze to scare off the birds.
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The Mom, sleeping with his eyes open, no less!
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Bangchick, my own laziness caused the lettuce loss. I should have installed the netting. The birds ate the entire planting of spinach, on the other side of the bed, too.
Kelly, me too. Not so much for the lettuce, but for the spinach. Birds have eaten all of that, but luckily I have time to replant.
ReplyDeleteI bet the owl was too busy licking his tootsie pops to notice the birds. No more free loading, pal. Get packing.
ReplyDeleteDarn birds. What do they do without your lettuce, starve? I wish they'd just go away when they're gobbling up my beans.
ReplyDeleteRibbit, true dat.
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Stefaneener, they keep having nests of babies, so they must take a few minutes out of the garden to make whoopie. I'm plugging the holes in the bird houses next year. Sorry.
sorry you lost so many plants but happy for those birds to be eating from your garden! i bet granny's lettuce is the best!=)
ReplyDeleteI've never had anything eat my lettuce. It is the only thing I grow that doesn't get some sort of pest. What sort of birds like it? We have mainly songbirds in our area.
ReplyDeleteThat poor owl... :)
Kelli, you'd let the birds take the food out of my rabbit's mouth? That was Cookie's lettuce! Now I have to buy it at the store, and who knows how it was grown!
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Crystabel, they are sparrows. They are really bad about eating the greens and the peas.
Ha! Great experiment! Now we know.
ReplyDeleteI think the owl is just too cute to care anything away. Maybe he can find another job as an adorable Halloween decoration?
ReplyDeleteaww they made a friend! Such a shame it didn't work. At least you have some saved by the mesh :)
ReplyDeleteI think you need to hire a real owl. That owl wouldn't scare me either.
ReplyDeleteoh no! i didn't know it was for cookie! stinkin' birds!=)
ReplyDeleteKimmi, I think he'll get the job of entertaining my 2-year-old granddaughter when she visits. She has a love/fear relationship with him.
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Marrissa, I fear my entire garden will someday have to be covered with mesh!
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Daphne, oh brave one, I have a feeling not much would scare you, LOL!
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HA-ha-ha, Kelli, that made you sit up and take notice, didn't it? Cute little pet rabbits take precedence over greedy sparrows!
Yes, I think pet rabbits have a higher rank than any bird eating lettuce in a garden. Bring on the netting, and fire the owl.
ReplyDelete~~Lori
Lori, in the words of Donald Trump...."YOU'RE FIRED!"
ReplyDeleteHi ~ I came across your blog and was surprised to see you're in Pasco as we're in W. Richland :)
ReplyDeleteCan you please tell me where you got your plastic netting? I'm tired of the quail nibbling my fall seedlings down to the dirt!
I'm hoping to plant some kale, chard, collard, etc. and I'd like to give them a fighting chance.
Thanks!
Debbie *Ü*
DebB, hello, neighbor! My daughter lives in W. Richland, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's plastic fencing, from Wal-Mart. You can see the product here:
http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-18-2010-my-clothespin-garden.html
Thank you for getting back to me about the plastic fencing. While the Rhld. Walmart didn't have any, we found something like it at Lowe's.
ReplyDeleteOn with my fall planting.
Thanks again - that was such good info for me (novice gardener and so much to learn!)
Debbie *Ü*