DIY Recycled Scarecrow Ideas for Your Garden

Making your own DIY recycled scarecrow could be a fun project for your garden this summer. If you grow your own food, you may already be aware how much damage birds can do to your brassica crops, and may already have learned to protect your soft fruit from these greedy winged visitors. While the only really effective way to protect your edible crops from birds is to cover them, with polytunnels, row covers, fruit cages or netting, a scarecrow could help to keep them away from your growing areas. Regardless of how effective your DIY recycled scarecrow turns out to be, making one can be a fun activity to enjoy, especially with younger gardeners. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Human Shaped DIY Recycled Scarecrows

Traditional human-shaped scarecrows work on the idea that birds will be scared away if they believe a human is nearby. A couple of sturdy, straight branches or garden canes can be tied together to make a cross shape and draped with scrap fabric and other recycled materials and stuffed with straw or similar to make a fake gardener. Leaving loose edges to flap and move in the wind will help make your scarecrow more likely to fool feathery visitors to your garden (at least for a while). A plant pot upturned, with a hat on top, can give a head to your scarecrow, or you can get the kids crafting – be sure to give your scarecrow a friendly face which is sure to amuse your human visitors.

Birds of Prey Shaped Scarecrows

Another option to try for your DIY recycled scarecrow is to make one shaped like a bird of prey. The more realistic your bird of prey looks, the more likely it is to frighten off birds that are eating crops. Put the kids to work finding feathers, then attach these to a bird frame made from scrap plastic wings attached to a plastic bottle body (for example). String the bird scarer from a tree or a post above the area of your garden that you want to protect.

Noisy/Bright Scarecrows

Sometimes, a bird scarer that makes noise will be enough to scare birds away from your garden (at least for a while), though these will tend to lose their efficacy over time. String three metal cans from a tree or post, and these will clatter together in the wind. Or make a mobile type structure with bottle caps, shells, twigs, or whatever else you have to hand.

Erratically Moving Scarecrows

Scarecrows that move unpredictably in the wind are often amongst the most effective when it comes to keeping birds off your vegetable patch or fruit garden. Think of making a wind-sock style scarecrow with scrap material, or a create a windmill from scrap plastic or other materials.