Birds in the garden...good or bad?

[Dace]

Does it depend on the type of bird? I have a suet feeder hanging in my garden with the idea that it will bring bug eaters to my garden...am I foolish?

This morning I spotted a beautiful Oriole near my garden, I would like to set out a feeder for them (nectar and grape jelly) but after reading other posts about people having trouble with birds eating their veggies, I wonder if this is a foolish idea!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Has a lot to do with the bird but more with the size of the plants when the birds are around. Example being they will not really hurt a 3 foot tomatoe but will clip off a 6 inch one. Make sense?

Hobby

 

[blurose]

I've had to wire tent my lettuce bed to keep the birds from eating it down to the ground every couple of days. I've had lettuce growing since April but haven't been able to harvest a single leaf for myself yet. Other than that, the birds are no problem. I too keep feeders in my garden. I do recommend that you place any feeders far from your garden beds or you'll be "planting" bird seed where you don't want it growing. Even though my bird feeders are far from my garden, I have of a prob with the ground squirrels that live under my house "planting" the bird seed in my garden to grow their own "crops."

 

[Dace]

Ok well so far birds have not touched anything so I am going to keep on welcoming them
Maybe they are bringing me good luck!

 

[rebbetzin]

This is the first year I wished I didn't have birds in my garden...They are eating all the bean blossoms!! My red scarlet runner beans and my bush beans and my other tall green beans are completly without any flowers now!! I will have NO beans this year!

It is not so bad the finches destroy the sunflower leaves, but now eating ALL the bean blossoms is getting me mad!!

 

[Tutter]

The best solution I've found for when birds snip off seedlings, or anything else, is to toss floating row cover over the area until:

A ~ The plant is past the stage of being damaged.

B ~ The birds migrate, if they do so.

C ~ Time for harvest .

Whichever comes first. A roll of Reemay is a worthwhile investment if you're having trouble.

 

[chickensista]

I love the birds in my garden! I am sure the nesting robins kept the grasshopper population in check this year. There are many bird varieties around here, but the only ones that give me grief in the garden are my chickens.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I've heard that birds are supposed to be good for the garden . . . I think mainly because they eat bugs.

They can also, obviously, cause some destruction, depending upon what you are growing.