Do you struggle with birds constantly eating your vegetables and seedlings? Me too! I love planting lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, beets, broccoli, peas, cabbage, and cauliflower, but the birds eat them as soon as they sprout.
It’s so bad, that last year I didn’t get any beets, spinach, peas or swiss chard because they ate everything the second it sprouted from the ground. I tried those bright whirligigs, pie plates, CD’s, and just plain old yelling at them every time I walk by, but none of it worked.
I even removed half of their habitat–some old cedars against the house that were very much past their prime. I hoped that would encourage the birds to move elsewhere, but Scrappy (the ringleader who looks like he fought with a cat and won) and his little band of hungry birds live on another year to feast upon my vegetables.
I wish the birds would stay out of my vegetable garden and eat my weeds instead!!
Related: How to Keep Animals Out of Your Garden
But this year I got smarter. I figured out a DIY solution using dollar store supplies that you can easily make in 10 minutes or less. Here’s the video to see exactly how to do it, and I’ll give supplies and directions below.
P.S. Youtube always gets me at the worst possible spots for the covers. Someday I will have enough subscribers to get the thumbnail feature. Until then, enjoy unflattering pictures of my face. 🙂
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How to Make a Cover to Protect Your Garden From Birds
You’ll need the following supplies, most of which can easily be picked up at the dollar store, Amazon, or a big box store. In the video and pictures, I used a white cloth designed to keep bugs out, because I needed to use that cloth anyway for my broccoli. If you are planting something else or don’t struggle with flea beetles and moths, you could use bird netting instead. I will list both options and you can choose.
- Roll of white gardening fabric OR
- Roll of bird netting
- Large Binder Clips
- Hula hoop(s) I used two here, but you may use more or less.
- Heavy Duty Scissors
Cut the Hoola Hoops
In my set up, I used two hoola hoops and crossed them over each other. If you need to cover rows, you could would not cross them, and could even cut the hoop in half to get two pieces, instead of using one hoop as the whole piece. Do what makes sense for your space.
Hoola hoops can be tricky to cut, and they may be filled with water or pebbles of some kind. I found it easier if I bent the spot I wanted to cut first, then cut it.
Once the hoola hoops are cut, you can stick them 4-6 inches deep into the ground.
Cut and Arrange the Fabric
Cut your pieces of fabric so the hoola hoop is fully covered. In this case, I cut four pieces slightly longer than I needed them, and tucked the ends in at the top as I clipped them.
If you are making more of a traditional row cover, you would just cut one long piece the length of your row, plus enough at each end to read the ground to be tied or held down. The fabric on mine in this configuration is held down with a brick. If the hoola hoops are wider than your fabric, you’ll need two pieces of fabric the same size and clip one to each side of the hoola hoop.
Related: Easy Ways to Prevent Pests in The Garden
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Clip with Binder Clips and Enjoy Your Bird-Free Vegetable Garden
The binder clips make setting up your hoop house so simple. No sewing, no fussing, and it can all be taken apart and reused as need year after year.
No matter what your project is, you’ll probably need more binder clips than you think, and once you see how easy this method is you’ll probably do it in other spots in your garden. Order at least a 24 pack.
Click here for more ideas for keeping bugs off your broccoli.
Will you make this protective cover? I’d love to know if you do!
Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots. Â She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden. Â She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.
It’s the last weekend before Christmas and you’ve realized that not only are you very much NOT ready. You still haven’t shopped for everybody on your list. And you forgot about your kids teachers, that nice neighbour who always shovels your sidewalk, and your favourite co-worker who makes going to work more bearable. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.