Turn An Old Tomato Cage Into A Feeder Birds Will Love

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For some gardeners, the peaceful serenade of birdsong sounds like a threat. Many a green thumb has been scorned by winged creatures devouring freshly planted seeds or pecking apart juicy fruits and vegetables. That's why people regularly look for ways to keep birds out of their garden. Yet, in reality, birds are helpful visitors, and there are numerous benefits of putting a bird feeder in your garden. Birds can decrease weed growth, pollinate surrounding plants, and eat pesky insects and rodents. Luckily, gardeners can turn feathered foe into friend in minutes by making a bird feeder out of a common garden tool: a tomato cage.

This simple DIY project requires hardly any tools and supplies. At the most basic level, all you need is a wire tomato cage, a large saucer, tray, or trash can lid, and birdseed. If your tomato cage tapers, like the Vigoro Evergreen Grow Cage, you can leave it right-side-up and put a feeding tray on the largest ring or turn the cage upside down and put a feeding tray on the smallest ring. For the latter, you will almost certainly want to clip the tines of the tomato cage before inserting the feeding tray. Ideally, the tray you choose is suitable for outdoor conditions, like the Pennington Terra Cotta Clay Saucer or the Better Homes & Gardens PET Resin Saucer. Once the tray is attached, sprinkle it with birdseed, and you've assembled a repurposed tomato cage bird feeder.

There are several ways to attract more birds to your feeder. First, where you place it matters. Birds want to snack in peace away from other animals, so try setting the feeder 10 to 15 feet from vegetation, like bushes and trees, which birds can use to hide from predators. That list of predators, perhaps surprisingly, includes squirrels. There are plenty of tricks to protect your garden from squirrels, but one that pairs well with your tomato cage bird feeder is to adorn it with objects that shine, move, or make noise. Some decorative deterrents include metallic ribbons, which you can tie around the wires of a tomato cage, or wind chimes, which can hang underneath the feeding tray.

Tomato cages are also well suited for providing feeding stations at various heights, which birds love. Instead of putting a single feeding tray on the top ring, look for feeding trays in different sizes to fit all of the rings on your tomato cage. One of the trays could even be filled with water for a two-in-one feeder and bird bath, similar in concept to the August Grove Double Bird Bath Feeding Bowl. For a relatively straightforward upcycling project, tomato cage bird feeders offer a lot of creative space for customization. Plus, you can enjoy the pleasant chirping of birds while harvesting your vegetable garden.