Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: The Golden Heap on March 16, 2013, 13:45

Title: Protecting strawberries
Post by: The Golden Heap on March 16, 2013, 13:45

I have some 600mm wide chicken wire and I intend to protect my strawberry plants with it from the pigeons my question is will 600mm be wide enough either as a dome a folded like a tent?

Title: Re: Protecting strawberries
Post by: gremlin on March 16, 2013, 17:37

Assuming you mean an arched cloche - that would give you about 400mm wide x 200mm high.  That might just be big enough for 1st year plants, but 2nd year plants get bigger.

It will be a tight squeeze and you would heave to peg the mesh down very firmly or the plants will lift it off.

Oh,  and the blackbirds and thrushes will peck the fruit through the mesh where it touches the mesh 

Title: Re: Protecting strawberries
Post by: Ivor Backache on March 16, 2013, 22:27

Short answer is yes.... but I always have a bigger problem from slugs.

Title: Re: Protecting strawberries
Post by: The Golden Heap on March 17, 2013, 07:52

The other option is to tie them in together giving 1200mm width which is a little excessive, I will use it tis year and perhaps water pipe and nets next year. Thanks all

Title: Re: Protecting strawberries
Post by: gavinjconway on March 17, 2013, 17:20

My strawbs have never been been eaten by pigeons - the odd blackbird and slugs... yes.. 

Title: Re: Protecting strawberries
Post by: fatcat1955 on March 17, 2013, 21:05

I saw somewhere that commercial grower's allow a blackbird to nest in their poly tunnels as they will keep all other bird's away.