If you are a gardener, you probably know all too well that disheartening feeling of noticing that pests have been nibbling away at the flowers, fruits, or vegetables you have been tending.
Here at Birdies, we know that feeling, too. It is largely what inspired us to make available kitset raised garden beds in NZ, having realised that if we were experiencing heartbreak as gardeners due to pest problems, the chances are that plenty of other people were, too.
Naturally, we were motivated to help such gardeners through the provision of kitset raised garden beds that the purchaser could be confident would keep their plants suspended above ground level - and away from many nuisance insects.
But of course, on reading this, you might have figured out already that various common pests such as birds, squirrels, and slugs could still be a threat to your garden bed even if it is raised.
What, then, would be the best deterrence measures? Below, we have suggested three of our favourites.
Create a Cage with Chicken Wire
If you will be using your raised garden bed to cultivate a mix of crops, why not put it in a cage made from chicken wire?
Creating such a cage is a relatively straightforward process. You will first need to establish how long a wire you will need in order to circle the bed while still allowing for some extra room. After this, you will be able to cut the wire in the required length, before connecting the ends to start assembling the cage.
Lay Prickle Strips on the Ground
You might have heard of prickle strips, which essentially look like spiky mats. You can entirely surround a raised garden bed with prickle strips placed on the nearby ground — but don’t forget to make sure the prickles face upwards.
The raised garden beds that we offer here at Birdies can be assembled in a variety of custom sizes. Similarly, it is possible to cut prickle strips to any of a range of lengths and shapes, so it shouldn’t take you too long to ensure the perfect fit for your raised garden bed.
Encourage Predators
Presuming you have followed our above advice to contain your raised garden bed within a chicken wire cage, this will be effective in preventing birds from reaching your crops. As a result, you won’t have to worry about the presence of these predators close to your raised garden bed.
But it gets better than that: the birds that do subsequently turn up near your raised garden bed, will be able to help you by eating smaller pests. For example, house sparrows commonly eat aphids, while blue tits and great tits predate on caterpillars.
By adding ‘companion plants’ like marigolds and lavenders to your garden beds, you can further control pests, and help create a balanced ecosystem in which birds thrive.
When you are on the lookout for high-quality and great-value kitset raised garden beds in NZ, there is no need for you to look further than Birdies. Browse our store today to discover the best deals on such garden beds, so that you can soon be using them to grow a variety of beautiful and healthy plants.