Create Cool Scarecrows for Under $5

You labor all spring and summer in your gardens; creating eco-friendly ways to keeping rabbits, squirrels and other nuisance critters from eating your crops. However, the top destroyers of gardens are birds - usually crows! They will peck at your berries, nibble your corn and pluck unripe produce off your vine. How can you keep them away from your produce, a simple solution . . . make scarecrows.

How did the term "Scarecrow" come about? Earliest known written fact about scarecrows was written in 1592. "Definition of a scarecrow - That which frightens or is intended to frighten without doing physical harm. Literally that which - scares away crows, hence the name scarecrow". They are used all over the world each reflecting their countries culture.

One of the most recognized and lovable scarecrows is from my all time favorite movie, "The Wizard of Oz". For a stuffed creation missing a brain he was the intellectual key in helping Dorothy and her motley crew arrive safely to the Emerald City. But I digress.

The continuous onslaught of marauding crows stealing my produce was so bad I decided it was time to build scarecrows for my vegetable gardens . I headed to our attic to collect the attire I would use to create these so-called terrifying garden guardians. I stuffed our raggedy sentinels with hay from our horse's scrapped hay bin and placed them in our large kitchen gardens. Big mistake! Hay is a soft, sweet dried grass. Using hay attracts birds. They use it to build their nests and eat the dried hay seeds. Straw is a better choice. It's tough and not pleasant to the palate of most pesky garden pests. I didn't want to purchase an entire bale of straw for a few scarecrows, so I decided to research other options. I came up with these simple and effective ways to create the perfect scarecrow for $5.00 or less. A quick trip to the dollar store was the answer.

Wind chimes: Summer gardens not only provide produce, they can be a tranquil environment to relieve tension and stress. What better places to add a bit of soothing sound and keep the garden pests away at the same time. I purchased 5 small wind chimes at the dollar store and attached them to garden poles. Spacing them throughout the bean and cucumber gardens it kept birds and squirrels away the entire growing season.

Aluminum pans and cans: Pie tins and cheap baking tins can be used to deter larger birds and pests like raccoon, opossum. They hate the noise of clinking tin. I punched holes in the tins and strung them on a line of green gardening twine between two gardening poles. The green twine blends in with the garden making it look as though the pans are floating in air. The same can be done with soda or beer cans. Cut the bottoms off, then make vertical cuts a half inch up to the top of the can. Bend the thin strips like a blossoming flower and string garden twine through the pop-top tying on about 6-8 cans with about a 12-inches between each can. It will look like a string of party lights. String them across the garden. The swaying motion will reflect the sun and scare the birds. If you have old pie tins recycle them.

Plastic Blow-up Toys: Brightly colored beach balls, blow-up pool toys can be used as scarecrow building materials. You should be able to purchase them at any dollar or discount pharmacy store. A few years ago we won a Sponge Bob Square Pants blow-up toy for our granddaughter at the Western North Carolina State Fair. It deflated within a week. I found it in her attic toy box along with her inflatable beach toys. I patched and re-inflated Sponge Bob, tied him to a garden pole and placed him in our smaller kitchen garden. It worked! Crows, cats, dogs, raccoons, opossum and birds refused to go near him. He's now our favorite and most successful garden scarecrow.

Remember, these supplies can be purchase at your local dollar store or local lawn and gardening store. Or better yet recycle all that discarded stuff you have around the house. Be creative, have fun and happy gardening!

Source(s)
http://www.scarecrowland.co.uk/history.html
Personal Gardening Experience