Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: DanielCoffey on January 08, 2017, 07:50
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I would appreciate some advice on sizing a walk-in fruit cage. I am talking about the commercial ones that are generally 2m in height with the door on one side.
What I currently intend to put under it are two gooseberries, possibly two raspberries (I am aware that raspberries tend not to stay where you put them) and either a single jostaberry or two blackcurrants.
Given those fruits and the fact the cage has a door and that the cages tend to be available in 0.5m increments, how big a cage would you advise for comfortable working and why?
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I would allow each currant/gooseberry bush 1sq m, 1.5 sqm for a josta berry and as for the raspberries, it depends on how you wan them to be organised eventually. I have Autumn fruiting ones which need no addition support and are in a space 1.5m cm by 2.5 m in two
rows, which gives us plenty.
The eventual size of your cage depends on what shape will fit into the space you have. You could have 6.5 by 1.5 to give working space, or a 5.3m square. And of course on what you actually plant
Just remember you don't want branches to grow crushed up against the sides, and you will need access to the bushes for picking and pruning
Not a definite answer but hope that helps a bit.
Our cage is 14m by 2m and runs along part of one boundary and we have ensured it does not cast heavy shade on any of the growing areas ... something else to consider
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if you built one in sections, it can be dismantled when not required as well as extra bits added when required. Neighbour does this for theirs