Many strawberry gardeners have fought and lost their harvest to rodents. How can you win the fight? There isn’t 1 catch-all solution, but a combination of efforts can mean the difference between finding a bountiful strawberry harvest or finding bites out of every berry.
Growing juicy, ripe strawberries in your garden can be extremely rewarding However, animals like birds, rodents, rabbits, and deer can quickly destroy your strawberry patch and steal all the berries before you get to enjoy them. Protecting your strawberry plants from these pesky creatures requires using a combination of deterrents and barriers Here are 11 of the most effective ways to keep animals from feasting on your strawberries.
Use Physical Barriers
The best protection is to physically prevent animals from accessing your strawberry plants. Install fences, nets or cages around your strawberry patch.
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Build a fence at least 2-3 feet tall around your garden with holes no bigger than 2 inches to keep out rabbits and small rodents. Use chicken wire or hardware cloth and bury the bottom 6 inches underground to prevent burrowing.
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Cover your strawberry plants with bird netting or build a chicken wire cage over them. You can easily lift the cages off for harvesting.
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Plant your strawberries in a raised bed or vertical planter up off the ground Attach wire mesh around the bottom and sides
Choose the Right Location
Where you locate your strawberry patch can make a difference in keeping animals away.
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Avoid planting near rodent habitats like sheds, wood piles, or overgrown areas. Keep the perimeter mowed.
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Raise your strawberry bed up off the ground on legs or blocks to make it harder for burrowing animals to access.
Use Repellant Plants
Certain plants can help repel animals with their strong scents.
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Plant onions, garlic, leeks, or chives around the perimeter of your strawberry patch.
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Use thyme as a living mulch between your strawberry rows.
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Border your garden with echinacea, which repels rodents.
Apply Repellant Substances
You can make DIY repellant sprays to deter animals.
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Spread used cat litter around your plants. Even the scent of a cat can scare off rodents.
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Make a spray with hot sauce, peppers, or garlic and coat strawberry leaves and fruits. Reapply after rain.
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Sprinkle cayenne pepper powder directly onto plants. The taste deters animals.
Consider Other Deterrents
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Get a garden cat or install a solar-powered ultrasonic repeller stake that emits noises only rodents can hear.
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Set up humane traps around your garden to catch and remove problem animals.
What Not to Do
Avoid using mothballs or chemicals that can contaminate your soil and plants. Seek natural repellant options first.
Tips for Success
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Use multiple barriers like fences and netting for best protection.
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Check often for holes, gaps, or sagging areas in fencing where animals could get in.
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Inspect plants daily and pick ripe fruit quickly. Don’t let berries linger on the plants.
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Clean up any fallen berries promptly. Rotting fruit on the ground attracts pests.
Protecting your strawberries from hungry animals requires diligence and a multi-pronged approach. Physical barriers like fences and cages are your first line of defense, coupled with repellant plants and substances. If you stay vigilant, you can outsmart those berry thieves and enjoy a bountiful strawberry harvest!
Who is after my strawberries?
Besides bugs, diseases, and impatient children, a variety of rodents love strawberries as well. Have you noticed signs of any of these rodents near your garden?
- Rats
- Squirrels
- Mice
- Chipmunks
- Gophers
- Groundhogs
- Moles
- Voles
- Rabbits (not rodents but equally destructive mammalian pests)
By far the most effective means of keeping rodents out of the garden is to create a physical barrier. Physical barriers can take several forms and work by blocking access to your strawberry plants.
Install a garden fence with holes no larger than 2 inches that extend at least 6 inches underground to keep out burrowing rodents like gophers and groundhogs. You can use hardware cloth, 2-inch chicken wire, or wood to build an effective rodent fence.
Your fence doesn’t need to be very tall; 2-3 feet is plenty tall enough to keep out most rodents and rabbits. If you include a gate, reinforce the entryway by burying hardware cloth or chicken wire 6 inches below the gateway to prevent pests from tunneling in.
A bird net or chicken wire cage makes a terrific defense against not only birds but also rodents. You can easily build a cage that lifts away to allow you to easily access your strawberry plants but prevent access to furry un-friends.
Away from natural rodent habitats
Keep your strawberry garden away from natural rodent habitats if possible. Avoid planting your strawberries around abandoned potting sheds or vehicles. Keep grass around the strawberry patch mowed short and remove any logs or bushes where mice and rats might make a comfy dry home.
Simply growing your strawberries in a raised bed instead of in the ground can make a big difference in rodent control. Your raised strawberry bed will be at least 6 inches tall
and easy to attach a cage to for additional protection.
If you know your area has a history of rodent problems, bury the chicken wire or hardware cloth around the perimeter of your raised bed or attach it to the bottom of the box before filling it. These measures will prevent animals from burrowing into your strawberry bed and disturbing the roots as well as stealing the fruit.
Vertical gardening is a wonderful space-saving technique, but it can also be a berry-saving technique if rodents are stealing your strawberries. Fruits that hang high off the ground are more difficult for most rodents to reach and may discourage thieves even without employing other deterrents.
Try these PVC Strawberry Towers for a slick surface that is difficult to climb but attractive in your garden. Alternatively, try this simple vertical pallet strawberry planter to grow a large volume of berries in a small protected space. For added protection, throw a bird net over the top of the pallet. It will be easy to remove for harvesting, but hard for rodents to navigate.
Top 3 strawberry pests and what to DO about them
FAQ
What animal is eating my strawberries at night?
Nocturnal animals, such as raccoons, will eat strawberry plants. Raccoons are omnivorous and love fruits and vegetables. Smaller rodents such as mice may also eat strawberry plants at night.
How to protect strawberry plants from rodents?
Rodents chemical repellent containing Thiram (sulfur fungicide) helps to retain these pests far from plants of strawberry. One more choice is to usage domestic mousetraps lured with peanut butter.
Will animals eat my strawberry plants?
In addition to white-tailed deer, swamp and eastern cottontail rabbits eat the plant’s twigs and leaves. Wild turkeys, yellow-rumped warblers, eastern bluebirds, wood thrushes, northern mockingbirds and a variety of small mammals are among the wildlife that devour the strawberry bush’s red berries.
How do you protect strawberries from birds?
One fail-safe way to protect strawberries from hungry birds is to cover them. The simplest cover is a bird net thrown over some supports in your strawberry patch. The supports can be stakes driven into the soil, jute strung between trellises or from a fence to the ground, or upturned 5-gallon buckets.
How do I protect my strawberries from insects & animals?
I employ physical barriers such as floating row covers to shield my strawberries from insects and animals without hindering light or water access. These covers are particularly effective during the fruiting period when strawberries are most vulnerable .
How do I protect my strawberry plants?
To safeguard strawberry plants, I emphasize the importance of fostering a thriving environment that supports natural predators and beneficial insects . Companion planting is a practical approach. For instance, I plant marigolds, which release natural nematicides into the soil, reducing nematode populations.
Can pest control preserve my strawberry crop?
Diligent pest control can preserve your strawberry crop and let Nature take care of birds, bugs, and other pests. Learn everything about growing strawberries from the Strawberry Master Manual, also don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook to stay updated with everything I post.
How do you keep animals away from Strawberry bushes?
Moving on to a “shiny is scary” idea. Attaching strips of foil tape or Mylar flash tape to your strawberry crop may frighten small animals away. Simply tie strips of Mylar or foil tape to the bushes, let them shine in the sun and flutter in the breeze, scaring pests. 6. CDs or Aluminum Pie Plates
How do you keep rats away from strawberries?
Keep grass around the strawberry patch mowed short and remove any logs or bushes where mice and rats might make a comfy dry home. Simply growing your strawberries in a raised bed instead of in the ground can make a big difference in rodent control. Your raised strawberry bed will be at least 6 inches tall