Drive pigeons out of your garden with 5 simple methods that stops them eating plants

Pigeons can be annoying to deal with in the summer but you can easily deter them using simple household objects. 

While completely harmless, pigeons should be dealt with as soon as possible as they are known to eat away at plants and dig up soil in search of food, which can quickly destroy a garden. 

Emma O'Neill, the head gardener at Organic Gardens has shared there are many effective but cruelty-free methods to keep pigeons away, but one of the best deterrents is simple plant supports such as pea sticks.

She said: “I make pea sticks from off-cuts from our shrubs and trees on site - but you can use anything that will create a barrier. I like to weave ours together, so it looks as busy as possible.” 

Pea sticks help create a barrier to stop pigeons from going near plants as it makes it difficult for the birds to land or move around, which will discourage them from a garden.

In some cases, the sticks can move and make a rustling sound in the wind which can scare pigeons and make them less likely to stay in an area as they are easily deterred by unfamiliar sights or noises. 

Pigeons will stay away from gardens if there are objects that create unexpected noise or suddenly move as they will believe it is a potential threat. 

Emma said: “A traditional scarecrow, ribbons, foil and wind chimes can deter birds. But remember these are indiscriminate and will affect all birds not just the ones you’re trying to discourage.”

One of the best ways to recycle and keep pigeons away is hanging out old DVDs or CDs in your garden as the reflective surface will catch the sun and the flashes can easily scare pigeons. 

Making it impossible to land in a garden is another simple way will stop pigeons from nesting in a garden, and all you need is fine string such as twine used for wrapping gifts. 

Emma said: “Our colleagues at Five Acre Community Farm have found that stringing two canes above their crops with fine string prevents the pigeons from landing. Something we’ll be trying out here!”

However, it should be noted that pigeons are clever birds who will initially keep away from sudden noises or strange sights but may return if they appear to be harmless, which is why it is best to try lots of different techniques to keep these birds away from your garden. 

If you plan ahead you can make plants less appealing to birds by planting them close together as they will have less access to them.

Emma said: “Planting. Densely packing plants together, such as growing flowers in between your vegetables, for example, can put pigeons off as they prefer to land on bare ground. 

“At Garden Organic, we fill every area in our produce garden with flowers, herbs and fruit to prevent open spaces – and this also supports lots of insects.”

If all else fails a very straightforward way to stop pigeons from eating plants is to create a diversion with bird food far away from your beloved plants. 

Emma said: “This is probably one of the easiest things to do. Leave windfall apples and seedheads on plants and they will attract the birds and keep them occupied. Bird tables will also attract pigeons, particularly if you put out whole grains.”