Tomatoes and Keeping the Birds Away

So I spent Memorial Day weekend hanging out with my parents, building a house (okay so I stood and watched while my Dad built a house), and getting sunburned because I totally messed up and put sunscreen everywhere but my back!

Then when I returned home I found A RED TOMATO!!!

But quickly I found that a BIRD got to eat it before I did. Crazy bird, he does not water and feed the tomatoes. He did not buy the tomatoes. He 'cut in line' on the tomato eating, if you will.

So I googled "how do I keep birds away from my tomatoes?" And these were the suggestions:
 - Bird netting: too complicated, I've done this before for my grandpa's blackberries.
 - Fake Snakes/Squirrels in the Garden: We all know I'd forget they were fake and I'd pee my pants when I saw the fake snake... every time.
 - Shiny Things...

So I remembered that my grandpa used to hang aluminum pie pans out in his garden. And I guess that helped keep the birds away. But I didn't have any aluminum pie pans...

But I did remember something I read somewhere online that said "Great Uses for Christmas Items" for the rest of the year. I think they recommended hanging red plastic Christmas ball ornaments on tomato plants so when the birds saw them they were tricked into thinking "No real tomatoes?? These tomatoes are so HARD!" And then they'd never come back.

But that's just what the internet said.

But I didn't have any better ideas. So:

Yep. The largest ornaments I've ever seen and a sheet of aluminum foil for "shiny things".

Yep. We're just getting cooler and more hip every day aren't we.

I'll let you know if it works. Looks like we'll have a few red tomatoes by the end of the week and I'm racing to get to them before the birds do!

So far... so good...

Happy Bird Hunting!