Strawberries

[Rip_Some_Lip]

My strawberries are starting to ripen and when I go to pick some the birds and bugs have eaten half of them. Should I pick them sooner before they ripen all the way? Will they ripen up in the fridge? Any other ideas? Thanks.

[jentz]

Get some cheap shear curtains,The lacey looking type,Lay them over your berry bed,When you pick remove them when your done picking lay them back.I have a 30ftX30ft strawberry bed the curtain works for everything except chipmunks and slugs

[yoppdk]

You can also buy inexpensive rolls of netting specifically for covering things like berries ... we used them when we had a patch and it works well. You can use it year after year ... find it at the local garden or farm supply store.

[KEN W]

Walmart sells netting as do most craft stores.

[Rip_Some_Lip]

Thanks, I will have to look for some. The birds have backed off for now, picked a bunch today and they are good.

[KEN W]

I started picking mine this past weekend also.Nice crop this year.