Covering Veg in growing season

[Tony]

So, we have a fair sized veg garden, 4 main beds and some berry runs, I'd like to build a frame and cover the whole lot in netting, Shelly on the other hand doesn't think this is a good idea so i'm interested in what your thoughts are, what you've done or seen so I can gauge what i'm going to do next year. Don't get me wrong, I do hardly anything in the veg garden and all our lovely fresh veg is down to my way better half, but building a frame, well, that i'd enjoy

It's got to accommodate beans in hight, be accessible for working on etc

Thanks

 

[British Red]

I "standardised" our beds to 25' by 4' and use a "goalpost and hoop" net structure

34 - Whole Bed covered by British Red, on Flickr

I use a variety of nets - a fine mesh to keep butterflies from destroying brassicas

35 - insect mesh by British Red, on Flickr

a wide mesh to keep pigeons off the young peas

36 - Bird Mesh by British Red, on Flickr

and a 15mm mesh on berries - this lets insects in to pollinate but keeps the birds from stealing the fruit

This is how the finished structure looks

W Insect Net complete by British Red, on Flickr

Its is simply clipped down at the base so the whole side can be lifted up for weeding and harvesting

X - one side opened for planting by British Red, on Flickr

Hope that helps?

 

[Tony]

What hight are those Red?

 

[British Red]

Waist high Tony - about 3 foot. Okay or bush beans, no good for pole beans.

I plan to erect a "walk in" fruit cage when time and money permits - for raspberries, currants etc.

 

[Tony]

Yeah, I like the idea of a walk in, it doesn't seem hard to do, I was going to put some half posts in and then bolt on extenders out of roofing batten or some such and then net the whole lot....We'll see, probably the best thing i can do is actually get out and help Shellw with the prep and planting as well as the eating

 

[British Red]

They need to be both tough and have the ability to have the net removed. My mates collapsed under weight of snow because she didn't take the roof off in Winter. With 15mm mesh on they catch a lot of wind. I'm thinking for the posts a minimum of 3x3 to be honest. Given a 7' roof and 2' underground that makes for 9 or 10 foot lengths of 3x3....gets spendy. You can get quite cheap ones ready made of aluminium though if that suits.

 

[Tony]

some of these? http://www.mad4tools.com/galvanised...T545bEbC0c6T8jrdY6AxLFjMEZtaygpEpJBoCPy7w_wcB

 

[British Red]

That could work - I was thinking more of these though

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/aluminium-fruit-cage-pid7535.html

 

[Man of Tanith]

My grandparents when they had an allotment had a huge cage for all soft fruits and beans it was a good 8ft tall and at least the size of a decent front room.
Grandad covered it with galvinised chicken wire as he built to last and then covered that with plastic mesh netting.
mind Grandads allotment was a proper allotment not these silly little strips of land. Its now got two houses built on it. ....
I can always ask him for any hints if you want Boss?

 

[Tony]

That could work - I was thinking more of these though

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/aluminium-fruit-cage-pid7535.html

That would be nice, £520 + postage and a door? A little too much, it would cover our whole veg area though, we've already got a 20x12 greenhouse so that all would crate a nice large protected area....

Sam, I bet that was built like a bomb shelter, if you get any more info i'm interested...