What I use is marigolds planted around the patch to keep the insects away natural and some chicken wire to keep the birds off. So far it has worked well on my patch.

We had the same problem and it was snails for us.

we put some copper tape around the base of the plants and so far so good. we haven’t seen any snail or slugs on the plants. You can get the tape at any garden store. It is a little expensive, but it works. and it doesn’t harm the environment.

Ladybugs are one of the most beneficial insects you can have in your garden. The ladybug larvae may look a little scary, but both the larvae and adults will eat aphids, whitefly, fruitworm and mites. A single ladybug can eat over 1,000 aphids in it’s lifetime. They will not eat your strawberries or other garden food.

You can buy Lady Bugs through most garden shops (may require special order) or online.

It depends on what is eating them. Squirrels love strawberries, if that is the problem sprinkle crushed mothballs around the plant. They hate mothballs. If something is eating the leaves it is probably caterpillars. If so, here is a recipe for a tonic:
1/2 lb of wormwood leaves
2T Murphy’s oil soap
1 gallon of water
simmer the wormwood leaves in 2 c of water for 30 min.
strain, then add the liquid and the soap to 2 more cups of water. Apply with a sprayer to the point of runoff. Repeat as necessary.
You can also dust the leaves with cayenne pepper when they are still damp with morning due. This repells a whole mess of pests. Good luck.

What about lady bugs or preying mantids?

Awesome organic pesticide recipe:
2 parts garlic
2 parts onion
1 part Copper Sulphate (harmful to humans and animals but effective on bugs)
3 parts Tobacco
1 parts Pine oil (quite effective for aphids)
2 parts Liquid Detergent
Mix the last two together and add the rest. Add 30 parts water and steep for 4-6 hours. Strain and spray on to the plants.

If this is not enough to stop them in their tracks, use the neem only approach:

Get enough fresh neem leaves to fill a 1 liter pot. Chop the leaves and cover with a liter of water, steep for 1 day, and strain. Store in a bottle. This juice is not very stable, so if possible, try to use fresh juice. Neem oil is even better, if you can find it. Neem juice or oil can be sprayed directly onto the affected parts of the plant.

My grandmother used to put netting over the plants to keep the birds out. And she would put fake snakes in the rows to act as a scarecrow of sorts. It worked we always has a lot of berries.

Think about adding herbs and members of the allium (onion) family. I have mine interplanted with onions and basil - also just added a couple of cowpea plants too to add more nitrogen. I did get some foliage eaten by something and some pecking at some of the fruit, but overall, they have produced well and the foliage looks fine. Make sure they have enough water. Plants produce some natural resistance to pests but need adequate water to keep it up.

I’d thought the plants were finished a few weeks ago. Then I was surprised to get a sudden second flush of strawberries as late as May here in Florida when it’s so hot and buggy. I picked a bunch yesterday.

I noticed onion and basil have warded off the cabbage worms where they are next to collard greens too: the leaves closest to the onions and basil are the ones with no holes in them.

It might be slugs. They really love my strawberry plants. We use egg shells that have been rinsed and then allowed to dry for a week or so. break those up around your strawberry plants. Slugs don’t like to crawl over them because they’re sharp and as they decompose they’ll give the soil more calcium. I don’t eat eggs, but my neighbors and friends are more than happy to give them to me. Works for other veggies being attacked by slugs too.

We have had very good results using ‘Diotomaceous Earth’ to dust the leaves and soil around our plants. We have also used a homemade concoction of tobacco and red pepper steeped in boiling water and added to a mild soap and water mixture. I don’t have a recipe, we just start with a weak brew and work up to the strength that works for the particular bugs of the year. You will need to do a little research tho, as there are some plants that will react negatively to the tobacco.

My Grandfather had the best garden around. He grew everthing.. even fig trees. He never had a big pest problem.. He was from Italy and used plenty of old world enviormentally safe remedies.. For garden pests. Sprinkle plain old kitchen flour on the leaves of the plants.. The little varmits eat the flour and explode. It really works, you will then see little red spots on your leaves. That is the exploded bug. Let me know.

Here’s an article I copied from one of my magazines a few years ago:

Note: Do not spray plants in temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit or else you could burn them. Also, don’t spray if the temperature plus humidity exceed 140. (like if the temp is 79 and the humidity is 67 which equals 146)
Garlic spray for aphids, cabbage loopers, grasshoppers, June bugs, leaf hoppers, mites, squash bugs, slugs, and whiteflies. Can also be used to repel rabbits.
3 oz. of minced garlic cloves with 1 oz. mineral oil. Let soak for at least 24 hours. Strain. Mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 oz. water. Add 1 tbsp castile soap. Slowly combine both mixtures together. Should last for several months if sealed in a glass container. When you’re ready to use it, mix 2 tbsp with 1 pint of water and spray.

Horseradish Pesticide:
for aphids, blister beetles, caterpillars, Colorado beetles, and soft-bodied insects, perhaps even slugs.
Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add 2 cups cayenne peppers and a 1 inch piece of chopped horseradish root. Let steep for 1 hour, cool, strain, and spray.

Orange Peel Spray:
soft-bodied pests such as aphids, fungus gnats, mealy bugs, and ants
2 cups boiling water over peelings of one orange. Steep 24 hours. Strain mixture into glass jar, mix in a few drops of castile soap. Spray on garden insects or on ants and their nests.

Pepper Spray:
This is an all-purpose insect spray.
Mix half a cup finely chopped or ground hot peppers with 1 pint of water. (cayenne, chili, dill, paprika, and red and black peppers are recommended) Let it set for 24 hours. Use as is to drench soil, or strain mixture through cheesecloth until you have a clear liquid for a spray. For foliage, add a few drops of castile soap. Keep away from eyes and skin when using.

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And here’s some quick ones you can try:

For aphids, mealy bugs, mites, and other soft-bodied insects:
Mix 1 tbsp canola oil and a few drops liquid soap into a quart of water. Shake well and pour into spray bottle. Spray plant from the top down, and from the bottom up to get the underside of leaves. The oil smothers insects.

For mites and other insects:
Mix 2 tbsp hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper with a few drops liquid soap into quart of water. Let stand overnight, stir and pour into spray bottle. Spray as instructed above and shake frequently during application.

For fungal diseases:
Mix 2 tbsp of baking soda into quart of water. Pour into spray container and spray affected areas. Repeat process every few days until problem clears up.

For insects and fungal diseases:
Combine 1 tbsp cooking oil, 2 tbsp baking soda, and few drops liquid soap into quart of water. Pour into spray container and apply as above.

For weeds:
Spot-spray with common, full-strength household vinegar on a sunny day.

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And to encourage more birds and the good types of insects to come around (to eat the bad insects) you could have plants rich in nectar around. Or interplant herbs with vegetables. The herbs that flower are best. Attract birds by having bird baths around, bird feeders, berry-bearing shrubs, etc.

Hope this helps. =)