Protecting grapes from birds

A few years ago Ray planted a couple of grape vines. The birds tend to steal them, so last year I had an idea and I covered the grapes with nylon stockings. I had a bunch of dollar store pantyhose and I cut it in sections, and knotted one end of each piece and slipped them over grape bunches. It worked great but was a little time consuming. This year, someone shared a brilliant idea on a gardening Facebook group- covering grapes with little organza drawstring bags commonly used for wedding favors or jewelry sales. I chose the 4 by 6 inch size which is perfect for most of my grape bunches. It was about $12 for a hundred bags which I will be able to reuse every year. It didn't take long to cover up my grapes and the birds will have to snack on wild grapes only once again.

This also made me realize that we have so many grapes this year... I ran out of bags quickly. I am looking forward to harvesting them, they were delicious last year. In addition to eating them fresh off the vine, I will grape juice with my steam juicer. I might also preserve some grape vines leaves for Ray to make dolma. I've been using them in my pickles too.