How to keep birds out of your garden

Growing tomatoes ? So you are growing your own food and wonder why birds fly in and eat your plants ? Especially the ripe ones are target of mocking birds, crows and other kinda birds! Many people believe that by hanging out CD's you could scare away unwanted visitors. Wrong! all you will achieve is even more birds, simply because they like to look at themselves in mirrors to see how pretty they are..

Ever had a parrot before ? They love to play with small and shiny mirrors, so don't get this type of crap ideas that by hanging CD's will ensure to be safe from birds and other predators. Five good old ways have always been proven to be right! This is a simple recipe on how you could keep unwanted birds away from your fruits or veggie plants away. This blog is about finding ways to grow your own, cook your own cheap and good food.. its about poor man kitchen recipes and not stupid men growing techniques. So here the ideas..

Use netting for trees. You drape it over the tree, and birds don’t want to tangle with it theoretically. (However, at a farm in Malaysia I went to last year, birds were INSIDE the net – not a pretty situation. They were scared AND eating the fruit. So use with caution.)

Make somewhere else more worth their while. Put bird seed in an area far from your garden. So that will distract and attract the birds to eat somewhere else other than your plants..

If you’re growing seed plants, like sunflowers, try covering the head with an old pantyhose so it can grow or dry, but birds can’t feast.

Get a dog or cat. It’s not THE reason to get a pet, but if you are considering it already, add it to your arsenal of reasons why. Our dog tears out toward the garden and scares the birds away, and between him and the neighborhood cat contingent, squirrels never venture onto the ground away from a tree out there.

And if all this still doesn't work, then buy some chickens and let them roam freely around your garden. And if that still doesn't work then your fruits and veggies must be super good and you should invite me to visit your garden..

Bringing the Country to the City

In the middle of the city a small farm revolutionized the idea of what can be done in an very unlikely place! 63 years old self reliant J. Dervaes started his own farm ten years ago, Jules and his children grow all the food they need in the middle of the city. Their produce is organic and their ducks and chickens lay thousands of eggs a year, on their 4000 sqf backyard they raise 400 varieties of vegetable and fruits.

It all started as an experiment, from 1/10th of an acre, four people manage to get over 90% of their daily food and the family reports earnings of $20,000 per year (AFTER they eat from what is produced). This is done without the use of the expensive & destructive synthetic chemicals associated with industrial mono-cropping, while simultaneously improving the fertility and overall condition of the land being used to grow this food on. Scaled up to an acre, that would equal $200,000 per year! 

One of the main reasons why I would not mind to start growing my own food, perhaps not today but down the road for sure..

1. GET THE NUTRITION YOU NEED & ENJOY TASTIER FOOD!
Many studies have shown that organically grown food has more minerals and nutrients that we need than food grown with synthetic pesticides. There’s a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes—they taste better. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately our bodies.

2. SAVE MONEY
Growing your own food can help cut the cost of the grocery bill. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and month at the grocery store on foods that don’t really nourish you, spend time in the garden, outside, exercising, learning to grow your own food.

3. PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices you make now will impact your child’s future health.

I also know that not everyone can become like Mr. Dervaes due to lack of space but at least the video documentary inspires people and opens up horizons to those unfortunate that are left behind by consuming a daily dose of MSG and pesticide.. I can also tell you that I am one of it as well!

So, lets jointly hope for the best and a self sufficient thought is a good start for the day!