Scarecrows offer a traditional way to ward off pests from your garden, and add a focal point to your vegetable plot.
When deer and other pests continue to attack your garden, it's time to take action. A homemade scarecrow should be a fun part of your pest control strategy. These helpful little garden additions are easy to make in an afternoon by recycling items from around your house.
First, gather your scarecrow-building materials. You'll need something for the body and arms (an old broom, mop, scrap wood or even sticks from your brush pile as long as they are dry, but not brittle). Also, you'll need to look for clothes, and something to be the face. Other helpful things include string, rags ripped into strips, sisal rope, rickrack, buttons, pie plates, a variety of hats, paint, hot glue gun, dried gourds and hay or straw.
Now we'll put together the body and arms. If you are using a mop or broom, turn the business end up to use as a face or hair. Lash your arms (a short piece of scrap wood or stick) to the body by crisscrossing a rag strip or sisal rope several times around the arm piece. You can keep the arms from slipping down by looping your tie around the top and bottom of the arms for several turns before tying it off with a simple square knot (right over left, then left over right, remember?).
After the body has been pieced together, you need to make and attach the head. This is where you can be really creative to make your scarecrow look distinctive. Look for anything head-like: a basketball, volleyball, dried gourd, old plates, pillowcase or old fabric.
Before you attach the head, you need to create your scarecrow's face. The facial expression can range from happy-go-lucky (a nice big grin) to a little menacing (no smile, and furrowed brow). Use paint, buttons, rickrack and hot glue to create the eyes, nose and mouth. You can also embellish your scarecrow with beads, shells or anything else that suits your fancy. Remember too, there is no reason your scarecrow needs to be a male. A sweet faced scarecrow girl would be quite a change from the traditional farmer one. A mop head can make a great bit of hair; you can even paint or dye it to your favorite color.
Attach the head, hot gluing it in place if necessary. You can puncture holes in the bottom of a basketball or other round object to have a place to slip your body onto. A plate can be lashed to the top of your body with plenty of rope and hot glue on the back. With the pillowcase or fabric, stuff hay or straw into it to fill it out, and then tie it to the top of your scarecrow's body with rope or rag strips. Then, you can begin to dress your scarecrow.
The traditional jean overalls and a plaid shirt are alright, but why not try something new for fun. How about a coverall dress? Maybe outfit your scarecrow in some bellbottom jeans and a funky 70s shirt to spice up your garden. You can also have a standard set of clothes for your scarecrow, and then stick in amusing changes for holidays and the seasons (a Santa hat and suit, Easter bonnet and dress, cowboy hat and western shirt, winter coat and snow cap, etc.). The list of possibilities is only limited by your imagination!
To give the clothes more body (literally) when you put them on your scarecrow, you need to stuff them. Traditionally, a scarecrow body is filled with hay or straw. You can use leaves or old rags, too. You should fill the clothes after they are on the body. Before stuffing away, tie each arm and leg closed so your stuffing doesn't show (although a little hay or straw sticking out the ends can look very cute).
Don't forget to grab some shoes to complete your scarecrow's attire. Footwear can include old work boots, western boots, goulashes, or rubber boots. This is a great way to reuse your holey shoes or boots.
Once you have the shoes, your scarecrow is now ready to go into your garden. Take your scarecrow out to the garden, and consider where it might best be visible to both garden visitors and pests. Good options include along a fence, in the middle of the central planting area, or along the wall of a garden shed.
For maximum scaring impact, you should think about using a couple additional tactics with your scarecrow. You can string soap, CDs, pie plates, or silverware to the arms to create smells and sound to scare off unwanted pests. You should also make the scarecrow lightweight enough to be easily moved around. This way, animals don't get used to its placement, and write-it off as another stationary garden fixture.
Scarecrows are not just for scaring off unwanted garden visitors. They make a fun project that can be the focal point of an informal, country-style garden. Make one for your garden this year, and you're sure to love peeking out a window to see your little friend watching over your veggie plot.
