Strawberry Protection?

[fiskies]

My Strawberry Plants are currently doing me very proud and my father mentioned netting from the birds. Do I really need them, there's never any birds in my garden with my dog and the neighbours cats and I know this because half a loaf of crumbs went two weeks scattered in the garden without being touched, are they safe or do I need to protect them?

[WendyC]

The choice is yours! The main culprits I find are blackbirds who will exploit any gap in the netting at the allotment. If you don't see many birds you could take a chance.

[PyreneesPlot]

Watch out for slugs, too. I've lost half my crop to them so far this year.

[kathyd]

And mice! I had hundreds of straws last year which 'disappeared', and which I found, still green and hard, a while later in heaps under the plants' leaves which were forming a canopy by then. Between the mice and the slugs, I think I got about 3 red fruits for myself.. Although hopefully the cats will help with this one!

[Veggiefirsttimer]

I just put some bet over the top held down with tent pegs, seems to do the job

[Bren In Pots]

I use hoops with netting over the top to keep the birds of, there's nothing worse than a half eaten strawberry.

[hamamelis]

I didn't have any problems with birds stealing the strawberries at home last year, but they nicked everything that wasn't nailed down at the lottie...

[binley100]

Watch out for wood lice too..........my mate went to pop a strawb in her mouth and realised there was a woodlouse in it

[Lisamcflisa]

hope you're dog dont get a taste for them either like mine did, little git pushed under my netting... between him and the mice i didnt get one single strawberry!

[veggiechicken]

I lose mine to the squirrels! My dogs are very partial to fruit too - bet they can't wait for the raspberries to start

[Veggiefirsttimer]

Something has bitten my only ripening strawberry last night then decided it didn't like it :-(

Part of me wishes it had eaten the whole thing rather than waste it!