The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Badger on February 20, 2011, 10:43:27 am
-
Can anybody advise us on the most economical way to put nets on some kind of frame over our new raised beds. The idea initially is to keep our chooks off, and also the wild rabbit population in our garden.This will be our first season growing veg, so any help will be much appreciated. Thanks
-
hi
we are using electrical conduit as the hoops
for £21 you get about 20
from screw fix or similar place
-
sticks with coke cans on the end and the net over the top, £00000 ;D
-
Now there's a coincidence.............
Just this minute got back from garden centre with supplies, more in a minute.........
Have posted this type of question my self and had very good response. I have 4 raised beds all 1m x 3.6 m and needed a frame to cover the brassicas ie just one bed(caterpillars a big nuisance last year). Have spent hours trying to track down a cheap(ish) sollution as the blue plastic hoops already got are not high enough. To purcase high enough cage kits looking at £70!
Back to purchases toady. Bought a box of 10 FIGO connectors (Harrod Horticultural sell them too - same price - £19.95) which can be fitted to garden canes to make a frame. Now looking for a cheaper alternative to butterfly netting as estimate that will cost about £30. Yep old net curtains could work but not easy to water through and don't want to have to keep removing anchor bricks/tent pegs to water.
Not sure how robust my efforts will be but need the means to easily dismantle and store at end of season.
Here's hoping a) it works
b) this is of some help to you? :)
-
Hi. We have tried various things. The green mesh which is cheap from garden centres lasts only one season. A bit more expensive initially but should last for quite a number of years is knitted black netting available in various widths and lengths from LBS horticulture (google them). For the hoops, we use blue alkathene water pipe - as used by the famous Geoff Hamilton. Stick a piece of cane in each end to go under the ground, and space them every 4-5 feet. For brassicas which are taller, I have been using canes with tennis balls on the top, but found they froze solid in the cold. I like the idea of coke cans if you are a coke drinker, and we have also used individual plastic water bottles when we can get them - beer bottles are very jolly but unfortunately too heavy ;D. I have found that flower pots are not secure enough and blow off even when held down by the net. For the edges of the net, I have threaded canes along the netting, then used pins made of old fencing wire (the thick stuff we use instead of barbed) to hold the canes down. Whatever you use, it looks good when it goes up, but weeds and weather all have their effect over the months.
Please also make sure to check your cage every single day as birds get in, no matter how bird-proof you think you have made it, but they can't get out.
-
build a small lightweight frame out of timber and cover it in chicken wire then place them over the veg you wish to protect, keeps the chicken and birds out but still lets bees etc in, ensure the frames are tall enough to let your tallest crops grow underneath. this is what we did and it worked a treat, our biggest problem was a cock phesant, but since we put these frames over the beds we havent seen him since! think he must have seen them and decided to try else where! ;D ;)
-
I tried plastic cups on canes with black net draped over and discovered it doesn't work as someone said above ::)
I also used disconnected electric poultry net with black net over the top and ended up with a strangled pheasant one morning ::)
Last year I used nothing and lost a lot to caterpillars ::) then much of the rest under snow :( tho there's still some growing and I may get a meal by April yet ;)
I'm not sure what I'm going to try this year but I'll be reading this thread again later to check ideas ;)
-
anyone used enviromesh, not that cheap but might be worth it to protect my carrots.
-
rabbit netting around the perimeter fence is a good start. Make sure it is buried some one in to the ground to keep rabbits out.
-
Try polypipe hoops - you can see these on raised beds advertised on the following website:
www.raised-beds.net (http://www.raised-beds.net)
as a good example. Cheap and simple to instal and very effective.
-
I have quite a lot of polymer clay lying about from jewellery making so I made cane tops that had 3 holes in but also made the clay look like ladybugs, bees etc they are really fun and I spot the bright colours when whizzing around the veg patch so don't poke my eye out
-
Sounds great - Any photos :) :) :)
-
Can anybody advise us on the most economical way to put nets on some kind of frame over our new raised beds. The idea initially is to keep our chooks off, and also the wild rabbit population in our garden.This will be our first season growing veg, so any help will be much appreciated. Thanks
2 poly inche pipe bent over the garden bed and then the net put over this. bank in enough star pickets to accommodate the hoops made by the poly pipe. Put the end of the poly pipe over the top of the picket and push to the ground. Do the same with the other end . continue on until you have finished the bed. YOu will need horizontal supports and these can be made of poly pipe and wired from one to the nxt in the hoops. Of if it is a tree,( fruit) then cross them over to support the tops and then throw over your nettting.