Bird Proofing the Garden

Good Morning All!
Did you all think I quit blogging??   
To be honest, I thought I had but I do miss everyone so I thought I'd give it another go.
It's finally garden season here after many (too many) months of cold, snowy and frosty mornings. I truly was wondering if spring was ever going to arrive but it has and I've finally got my garden planted. 

Springtime usually brings a few unwelcome visitors to our yard. The flying kind of visitors....the black Starlings.

These birds come each year and build a nest. Once I have my garden planted they dive bomb it and snip the tops off all of my plants.
So my choices are to grab the BB gun and start shooting away at them which will only leave a nest full of babies with no Momma to feed them or to bird proof my garden.
Obviously I choose to bird proof!
I looked around at store-bought netting but didn't really want to pay the price for something that I would only need for a short time. Plus I would need to buy several packages of it to be able to cover my whole garden. (about $25.00)
So being a crafty person and one who loves to work with fabrics and sewing I instantly headed to the fabric department to check the price of nylon tulle which was a cheap $.88 a yard.
Bingo!
For a little under $5.00 I was able to buy 5 yards and protect all 34 plants that I have.
It does take a little more work than just being able to stretch out a sheet of netting but worth it.
I took my tulle and cut it into 34 squares. 
Roughly cut at about 20 x 15 inches. I did not measure so some were smaller and some maybe a bit bigger.
I then cut two small slits in the center of each square. (about a 1/2" apart from each other)

Now just slide the tulle down over your garden stake (through one of the two slits). Take a bread tie or garbage bag twist tie and insert it through both of the slits and then attach it to the stake. 
Now your plants are bird proof!
As your plants begin to grow just untie and slide the netting up a little higher. Once the plants have gotten a good start just remove the netting.
I have used this method for several years. It's cheap, easy and keeps the birds OUT!

The top photo is from three weeks ago when I first planted.
The bottom is now. 

You can see how much the plants have grown. I have removed the netting from the squash and zucchini and raised the netting up on all the other plants. 

It won't be long and I will be able to take all the nets off.