HOMEGROWN celebrates the imaginative, passionate people living HOMEGROWN
Strawberry thieves
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop my strawberry thieves???
The local animals, squirrels and raccoons are continually taking my berries. I assume they are good because of how quickly they are taken when they start to ripen but I would like to enjoy a couple.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
The local animals, squirrels and raccoons are continually taking my berries. I assume they are good because of how quickly they are taken when they start to ripen but I would like to enjoy a couple.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Frank O'Leary on -
Sarah:
I have them in earthboxes and my place has poor sunlight so where they are is the only south facing location.
I was thinking of fencing...chicken wire, etc...but I think the rascals will be laughing at my feeble attempts to stop them.
Thanks for the reply
Sarah said:Strawberries are good in window boxes and containers. You could pot some and move them somewhere the animals can't reach them.
-
Permalink Reply by Frank O'Leary on
-
Sarah:
Great idea...thank you
Sarah said:Oh! Well, if that's the case, go to the hardware store and look for fine mesh wire. When I was worried about voles getting into my raised vegetable beds I stapled a fine mesh cage to the bottoms. The mesh was so small that I couldn't even get my tiny girly pinky through it! ;) You could build cages over the tops of the boxes that you remove when you want to pick some berries. Of course they will have to be secure so the raccoons don't break through.
Frank O'Leary said:Sarah:
I have them in earthboxes and my place has poor sunlight so where they are is the only south facing location.
I was thinking of fencing...chicken wire, etc...but I think the rascals will be laughing at my feeble attempts to stop them.
Thanks for the reply
Sarah said:Strawberries are good in window boxes and containers. You could pot some and move them somewhere the animals can't reach them.
-
Permalink Reply by Rainforest Moon on -
2 homegrown and harmless solutions that worked for me with squirells - Have you tried sprinkling cayenne pepper in your garden? Or take a few rocks and smear them with Vicks Vaporub?
-
Permalink Reply by Trell Johnson on -
I have been going with the "If you can't beat em, join em" method recently. I Mean, if the berry is good enough for the squirrel... Seriously though, the squirrels pick them at the same time you should. Allow the berry to sun-ripen in your kitchen, i assure you it will get red and tasty within a day or 2.
-
Permalink Reply by Frank O'Leary on
-
Trell:
Thanks for the advice.
I will pick them when I see "jumpy squirrel"(so named by my 3 yr old) around.
And will try the spce over the vicks.
Thanks again.
Trell Johnson said:I have been going with the "If you can't beat em, join em" method recently. I Mean, if the berry is good enough for the squirrel... Seriously though, the squirrels pick them at the same time you should. Allow the berry to sun-ripen in your kitchen, i assure you it will get red and tasty within a day or 2.
-
Permalink Reply by Carrie Seal-Stahl on -
2 Words: Fox Urine. Available at your local hunting/sporting goods store. Critters (rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk etc) won't go near it, deer is another story...
-
Permalink Reply by Farmer Ted on -
I have a 2 ft chicken wire fence around my patch (about 25 x 20 ft). I lined the bottom of the fence with medium sized stone (8-10" in diameter). I then have bird netting covering the patch, connected to the fence. Chipmunks get in on occassion, but I get 90% of my yield. The bird netting is key for me because we have a lot of deer on our property. I forgot to put the bird netting back one night, the next morning all 100 plus plants were down to only their stems.
Links
Living HOMEGROWN
Badge
Latest from FARM AID
Staff Recipes: Roasted Heritage Breed Turkey
Even though my Thanksgiving will be a party of two, I like to prepare for the possibility of ten! When I heard Wendy was getting a Lilac turkey from Wells Tavern Farm in Shelburne, Massachusetts I jumped on board for a bird.Wells Tavern has raised about 30 of their turkeys for fresh Thanksgiving birds. They are selling heritage breed birds that have had access to pasture throughout the spring and summer, eating natural Vermont grain and scratch feeds – with no antibiotics or added hormones. The turkeys are kept in large fenced pastures, which allows them to naturally scratch and forage, and provides them with protection from predators.
Wendy has been talking about her delicious turkey for a while now, and I am excited to see if I can find success with my first attempt at making Thanksgiving dinner.
Here is her recipe from last year:
Whether fresh or frozen, bring the bird to room temperature before cooking.
Cover the breast with a piece of brown paper cut from a shopping bag, rub it with cooking oil, and tie it in place with cotton string. Alternatively, soak a piece of cotton cloth in unsalted oil, such as corn oil. Remove the covering about 30 minutes before the turkey is done so the breast will brown.Roast heritage turkeys in a hot oven pre-heated to 425F-450F and cook until an internal thigh temperature of 140F-150F is reached. Don't let the tip of the thermometer touch the bone. (Note: The USDA recommends turkeys be cooked to 160F-180F, but these temperature will dry out a heritage turkey. Heritage birds are much more free of disease and bacteria, unlike commercially-raised birds, and do not need extreme temperatures to make them safe for consumption).
Truly the thought of cooking at such a high heat terrified me but it worked out great. We had a 17lb turkey that cooked in 1 1/2 hours.
Cook any stuffing first and put inside the heritage turkey before roasting. Due to the reduced cooking time, stuffing won't become fully cooked. Alternatively, try adding a quartered orange, apple and/or pear inside the cavity instead of stuffing.
Let the roasted bird rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
© 2009 Created by HOMEGROWN.org
