In article , Paul
D.Smith writes
OK, so there I am with my nice "wildish" garden, "making room for nature"
and how does it repay me? By having the local residents come and eat all my
strawberries -harrumph!

And it's not just the mice. The blackbirds are getting in on the act too.

So are "natural" and "grow-your-own" incompatible?

It works with compromise - usually on your side not theirs ;-)

try replacing your strawberries with yellow-fruiting ones (I know there
are yellow fruited alpines, and I thought I'd seen a yellow fruiting
large types), and grow a lot of alpine strawberries too - tiny, but far
more taste. Or buy your strawberries and grow instead loganberries,
tayberries etc which seem less attractive and are more expensive in the
shops.

I can't advise on the mice as our cats keep them away. Our blackbirds
take the redcurrants, a small proportion of the loganberries, and two or
three apples, but there's more than enough to go round.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"