Can anyone offer any advice on the best system to use for protecting veg from butterflies and birds. I've got a raised bed 3m long X 1.7m wide - I don't need to cover the whole thing - just indiviual rows.
I've seen those round ball type things which connect tubing/canes which you can put net over. How does it perform in practice? I've also looked at cloche/hoop tunnels with mest/net. I can't afford to spend loads so need to know whatever I plump for won't be a waste of money or just plain aggravating! Also it can get quite windy so it needs to be robust. Any suggestions and advice gratefully received!
vegetable protection
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
I use a mixture of bendy pipe and rigid pipe with elbow joints. The rigid stuff works out more expensive, but is more practical if you want the same height all the way across your bed. There are lots of people on our site who've made rigid wooden frames from 2"x1". These are great, but they need two people to move them and work out more expensive. I remember seeing frames made from copper pipe. They looked fab but probably cost a lot.
-
Geoff
- KG Regular
- Posts: 5784
- Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:33 pm
- Location: Forest of Bowland
- Been thanked: 319 times
I could never grow successful carrots because of the dreaded fly until I invested in a pack of the fine insect netting. This will be my third season of using it.
I bought one pack of Agrilan (is that the right name) and a bundle of slate battens. I made 6 panels each 2'x5' with legs so that I could push them into the ground and surround a space 10'x5'. I held them together by using half in screws and twisting wire round them. I had enough mesh left over to make a lid which I stiffened with cross battens tied to the sides. I haven't described that very well but I hope you understand it, I can take a picture if you are interested. I've left the sides in place all Winter and they haven't blown over.
I bought one pack of Agrilan (is that the right name) and a bundle of slate battens. I made 6 panels each 2'x5' with legs so that I could push them into the ground and surround a space 10'x5'. I held them together by using half in screws and twisting wire round them. I had enough mesh left over to make a lid which I stiffened with cross battens tied to the sides. I haven't described that very well but I hope you understand it, I can take a picture if you are interested. I've left the sides in place all Winter and they haven't blown over.
Bec.
We have used the Build a Balls this past couple of years and found they worked well on a bigger bed,no reason why you couldn't make whatever size frame you wanted. The balls are expensive to buy (had some as a birthday pressy), but since then we have made more frames using Tennis Balls from the £1 shop which works out a lot cheaper, they work in the same way only you have to drill the holes where you want them.
Bren
We have used the Build a Balls this past couple of years and found they worked well on a bigger bed,no reason why you couldn't make whatever size frame you wanted. The balls are expensive to buy (had some as a birthday pressy), but since then we have made more frames using Tennis Balls from the £1 shop which works out a lot cheaper, they work in the same way only you have to drill the holes where you want them.
Bren
-
Geoff
- KG Regular
- Posts: 5784
- Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:33 pm
- Location: Forest of Bowland
- Been thanked: 319 times
Not the best of photos - light not good on a grey day. I've removed one end to show the legs and partly put the lid back on to show how I can roll it back for access. The frames just have a screw in each corner and the mesh is stapled to them.
We have to protect everything against birds and do it like this: we surround the, say, brassica bed with 3 foot high wire netting, leaving a piece as a "gate" and then cover the lot with plastic netting from LBS Plastics (who will cut and sow the sizes to customers' requirements). The netting is held up with 6 foot bamboo canes with upside down plastic bottles on them and the netting draping down all sides. The whole forms a sort of moveable fruit cage into which one can just about walk for hoeing, harvesting etc. We have now used the same plastic netting for about 6 or 7 years and it has not deteriorated. This netting is just against birds, not butterflies. We have tried finer netting, against butterflies, but found that the brassicas became too hot under it and never thrived.
For carrots and parsnips we use agricultural fleece from the time of sowing until about end of September. We found that even the finest Environmesh would not keep out carrot root fly and it also became very stiff and unmanageable after a year or so. The fleece is cheap, can be used for two or three years (I wash in the washing machine every autumn) and also protects the carrots against the elements.
For carrots and parsnips we use agricultural fleece from the time of sowing until about end of September. We found that even the finest Environmesh would not keep out carrot root fly and it also became very stiff and unmanageable after a year or so. The fleece is cheap, can be used for two or three years (I wash in the washing machine every autumn) and also protects the carrots against the elements.