Stop birds eating strawberry plants by adding one item to flower beds

Growing your own food is a great way to become more sustainable and can push you in the direction of eating more healthily.

But sometimes, pesky creatures such as birds can help themselves to the fruits of your labour in your garden, leaving you feeling frustrated and wondering what the point of growing your own food is. 

To combat this, keen gardener Nikki Adams took to Facebook reels to share her hack to stop birds from eating your strawberries, and people were keen to give it a try. 

“It’s gonna confuse them, but they’ll learn to leave mine alone,” she penned as part of the caption.

She then explained that she was “painting rocks like strawberries so the birds will leave mine alone while they’re growing”.

Nikki then showed how she spray-painted the rocks and then hand-painted the finer details so that they looked very similar to the actual fruits themselves.

She then sprayed them with gloss and left them out to dupe the birds into taking them rather than her precious strawberries. 

Then, she placed the rocks among the roots of the plant, explaining that they “worked pretty good last year,” so she was hoping for the same.

In the comments, people had mixed feelings about what Nikki was doing, with one woman asking: “What if they chip their beak?” Someone responded: “They don’t just go chomping without inspecting it first. They will feel that it’s inedible and leave”.

Another gardener complained: “Birds are the least of my strawberry issues. Every bug wants them.”

Someone else joked: “Plot twist, the bird takes the rock up really high and drops it on your car’s windshield,” while someone else added: “If I was a bird, I’d totally s**t on your car for trickin’ me like that”.

Several creatures could potentially feast on your home-grown strawberries in a UK garden. Birds, such as blackbirds and pigeons, are frequent culprits, as they are attracted to the bright red, juicy fruits. 

Slugs and snails are also common strawberry thieves, especially when the weather is damp, leaving behind tell-tale holes in the fruit and traces of slimy trails. Small mammals like squirrels, field mice, and even hedgehogs may take bites from strawberries growing close to ground level. 

Insects, including certain beetles or aphids, can also damage the plants and sometimes the fruit itself, although they are typically less of a direct threat to the berries. Rabbits or larger pests like deer might occasionally nibble on low-hanging fruit or plants if you’re in a rural area. 

Keeping an eye out for signs such as footprints, droppings, or damage patterns can help you identify the specific culprit and implement appropriate protective measures.