Do robins and chipmunks like them? They are decimating my haskap patch. I used to net, but was always having to release robins trapped underneath in spite of my best efforts to pin the edges of the netting to the ground.
Tried scare tape; also doesn’t work.
Are currants less attractive?
I noticed birds don’t bother my raspberries. Am I just lucky?
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners about wild urban animals’ culinary preferences. Urban wildlife can indeed be the bane of an urban gardener’s life.
I have grown a red currant bush for several years, and regularly had a prolific harvest. I have not observed birds and chipmunks dining on the currants. I suspect they are too busy eating my service berries and grapes.
This is, of course, anecdotal evidence. Other gardeners may have a different story. This Washington Post reporter is digging up his red currant bush because the birds and chipmunks eat all the fruit.
Wild animal food preferences are opportunistic, focusing on what is available. Birds certainly eat raspberries. The ones in your garden may pass them by in favour of the haskap berries!
So, no perfect answer to growing fruit that wildlife won’t eat. Perhaps, you should plant a red currant bush in addition to the haskap, and see if you can at least reap a red currant harvest.
If you do decide to grow currants, this detailed guide, Growing currants and gooseberries for home gardens, is published by the Ontario government.