[MyAchingBack]

I have just taken over an allotment and I have spent the last two days on the internet looking at how I would like to lay the allotment out, how to construct polytunnels etc. Would anyone know where I could find instructions on how to build a frame to protect the veg from birds? I have seen one once that was about 12 inches high, the frame was made of wood and it was covered in chicken wire. As it was portable I would like to make some to protect my vegetables.

I’m sorry if I’m on the wrong forum.

[Kleftiwallah]

Building an anti bird cage couldn't be easier.  Builders merchants for some battening (the horizontal bits of wood roofers hang the tiles from.  A load of plywood, hopefully marine ply but if not, no bother,  a load of self tapper screws.

Lay the battens out on the ground and but them up against one another, where they join, cut a tiangle of ply and after drilling pilot holes through the ply screw in place where the battens meet.   Make two of these (one on top of the other to ensure they are the same size ish).  Stand them up and join together using a trangle of ply wherever the battens meet.  There will be three triangles at each corner.

To cover, I'd get some fish pond protective mesh,  it's more flexible than chicken wire and not so jaggy !    Chuck it over the frame and there ya go.    Hold down with rocks around the base.      Easy peasy.      Cheers,     Tony.

[MyAchingBack]

Thanks Tony.

[sunshineband]

Just to think about --- bear in mind that soem brassicas, like purple sprouting broccoli for example, grow really tall, up to 1.5m, so you will need to have quite tall frames.

After a couple of unsuccessful efforts (one too short, one to heavy to move to weed/crop etc) I now have three of those cheapish metal arches you can buy to train roses over, and stood them over one of the raised beds.

I have a debris net cover with velcro door in one long end for the summer, and am about to change it for a wide mesh bird proof netting for the winter, because the weight of snow on the debris netting will probably bend the metal  of the arches. They are well staked on the inside with wood a foot deep, and guyed at each end so summer gales didn't blow them over.

Debris netting kept out the cabbage white and bird netting will keep out pigeons during the winter --- no butterflies now!

Hope that helps a bit.

The lower frames you mention work well for short crops as long as you can lift them of single handed

[RichardA]

does not look very tidy but to suit various sizes of plants I simply use roofing battens cut to 0.5,  1, 1.5 and 2 metre lengths hammered (not too much) into ground at about  2 to 3 strides apart with a plastic plant pot on top (protects nets) and covered with debris netting (see scaffold suppliers or get from building sites after being used (check for holes) with ends weighed down with old bricks, can use old plastic milk containers full of water or sand. I have three diff widths of net (diff colours so easy to spot in shed). Cheap and very flexible and easy to put up, pull down and store.
R

[sunshineband]

That works quite well Richard, and is how I cover the blueberries ever year, to stop them becoming the food of choice for local birds

[Growster...]

We've found that those plastic ball connectors with 4' canes are surprisingly good at the job.

I wasn't sure if they would be too light, but with a few strategic clothes pegs here and there, they've withstood all the wind we've recently had without a murmer!

[MyAchingBack]

Thanks guys.

[MyAchingBack]

Hi Growster. I have been looking on the internet for those plastic ball connector thingies. Would you know what they are called?

[RichardA]

try goggling cane connectors or "build a ball" or may also come up in connection with bird netting or garden netting etc
R

[MyAchingBack]

That’s it!!!  Just what I have been looking for. I may become Amazons best friend. Lots of allotment things on there.

[crh75]

does not look very tidy but to suit various sizes of plants I simply use roofing battens cut to 0.5,  1, 1.5 and 2 metre lengths hammered (not too much) into ground at about  2 to 3 strides apart with a plastic plant pot on top (protects nets) and covered with debris netting (see scaffold suppliers or get from building sites after being used (check for holes) with ends weighed down with old bricks, can use old plastic milk containers full of water or sand. I have three diff widths of net (diff colours so easy to spot in shed). Cheap and very flexible and easy to put up, pull down and store.
R

Similarly, I use bamboo canes with juice bottles on top, then cover with butterfly netting pegged down with camping pegs.  Works a treat.

[sunshineband]

That’s it!!!  Just what I have been looking for. I may become Amazons best friend. Lots of allotment things on there.

Make sure your canes are not too thick for them --- long canes to tend to be quite thivk in my experience 

[JayG]

Seems to be a bit out of fashion these days but for bird protection of young plants (or any plant if it's less than about a foot high) I find that galvanised wire hoops (inverted "U") with ordinary garden netting slung over them makes very cheap, portable, and reusable cages of any size you like (probably not a good idea to go more than about a foot high, and up to two feet in span, but if you've got a wider bed just use two or more hoops side by side.)

Make sure you use a thick guage of wire (the plastic-coated stuff I've seen isn't up to the job.)

[Growster...]

These are they Achers...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-Grow-Garden-Netting-65010/dp/B000QZP39C

Go down to the bottom and there are the - er - balls...!