I don’t discourage it. The more they come there the more pests they eat.

tj

Wash the tomatoes before you eat them and you're good to go. I find that the poop usually hits the leaves anyway :).

There are likely to be many animals pooping all over your garden. Even birds that don't perch on it. If it concerns you, you can pretty much just assume that any garden soil is somewhat unsanitary. Wash your hands and your produce.

You don't wash your produce with soap, though, right? I understand that soil is not sanitary and there is the occasional dropping on plants etc., but the leaves are covered on this one particular plant and tomato cage. lol

I guess what you are saying is there probably isn't a way to discourage them from sitting up there any way.

I can't imagine that farm produce is routinely washed with soap on the way to the grocery store. Or maybe you're hoping that they somehow keep animals away from those farm crops? Bottom line -- you ingest some poop. No getting around it. Fortunately, not very much.

Commercial growers use brushes, scrubbers, and pads on their veggies to clean them, but they largely just use water. Only occasionally is food-grade detergent used, and that's to cut through oily residues. Water is understood to remove almost all bacteria. It is well understood that even after being bathed in antiseptic, live bacteria are almost always still detectable.

There is this one robin - I'm sure he is not alone. He looks like an adolescent and he's been following me around. They do seem to figure out when you dig there are earth worms more available. [g] This particular bird is very bold though. Lands quite close to me, doesn't scare off with my movements. I've started talking to him and cocking my head side to side and whistling at him. He seems curious and cocks his head back at me. [g]

There's the tomato cage he's sitting on, clearly his favorite spot.

Thank you all, I guess I will relax about the issue more. I don't feed the birds but I do put out clean water sometimes twice a day for them. I enjoy them of course, but sometimes it seems there is bird poop everywhere. All over the car, where there is a tree above the driveway and the walkways and patio and lawn furniture. I didn't think I had a large amount of birds, but I guess there is enough. And it's not even berry season yet. [g]

Now if I could get more lady bugs here for the aphids I'd be happy.

Birds help keep the insects population in check and you can wash your tomatoes. You don't want to know what ends up in ketchup you buy at the store.

Is there some sort of product you can coat the cages and stakes with so they don't want to perch there? Maybe Vaseline? (cheap so worth a try)

Could you try putting in some alternative perching places?

mxk3 - thanks - that's a thought, I'll have to give that some thought. I was just outside and came right back in, it was a very hot day today and I'm wilting, so I'm wondering about what I can put on that the heat will not interfere with or that won't bother the bird's feet. Vaseline sounds like it would be hard for them to get off. We are going back to lower temperatures tomorrow.

Floral - Now there is a thought. My tomatoes are in my mixed bed with perennials and roses and I have a couple of shepherds hooks I haven't pulled out of the garage this year yet. I could try that and see if that will help.

Former owners put spikey things where birds might nest. Guess where we found a nest? Nice and safe within the spikey things!

I went on an apple orchard walk last fall and he asked the group the purpose for a bamboo pole about 15 foot tall at every younger apple tree. Which no one answered. His reasoning is that the birds will sit on the highest point. So if you have poles positioned between plants the droppings will fall at best on the foliage and not on the tomatoes which tend to be centered on the plant.

And the obstructions will help keep deer from jumping an otherwise too short fence.

Wow, John, that is fascinating. I'm going to have to try to add another stake or pole that is higher than the rest. I probably have some tall bamboo as well, that I used for tripods a few years ago.

I would expect birds to choose something with a horizontal rather than just a pole. Maybe a T shape or two poles with a cross bar.

What worked for me was to weave a wooden stake in the rungs of the cages and leave it sticking about 2 feet above the top of the cage. Tie a string to an aluminum pie plate near the rim and tie the string to the top of the stake. the wind will do the rest.