[Honey65]

We have an area of fruit bushes measuring 8x2m on our new allotment. I'm disappointed to find nearly all the gooseberries have already been stripped by birds 

Anyone got any ideas on how we can cheaply net the area? Bit short of cash at the moment so a fruit cage is totally out of the question.

[MrsPea]

Hi Honey, I went down the garden centre and got some netting for my strawberry's that wasn't very dear and pegged it round , you could do that or put bottles on canes they wont like that either, good luck 

[Hampshire Hog]

Any friends or relatives with old net curtains you could cannibalise?

Good luck HH

[wasthiswise]

I had this problem recently, how to net up effectively a large number of bushes without a vast expense on netting.

I dont think you can avoid the need to have a decent net that will cover all the bushes, down to the ground. Anything else is likely to be a real hassle and not very effective. On my allotment last year when I had some haphazard 'netting' the birds just got in from underneath and there wasnt much left.

On one part of my allotment I have 3 rows of various currant and gooseberry bushes, covering an area of about 5m x 8m. I wanted a cost effective solution that would also last a few years.

I got a quote for a custom made fruit cage. That was £1400 so I gave that one a miss!

In the end what I did was I used 12 fenceposts along the perimeter with within, around which I strung heavy duty pvc coated wire plus a few wires crisscrossing the area. The posts were 1.8m X 75mm round posts knocked in with around 1.6m above ground. I then draped the whole thing with a single 12m x 10m heavy duty net, and I used logs and bricks to hold the net to the ground. Looks just the business, is completely bird proof and I hope will last years.

Outlay was £53 for the posts, £12 for the wire, and £36 for the net. All bought through ebay.

For single rows of bushes I use the same kind of netting, but use large 'hoops' of blue plastic mains water wipe which is cheap and easily cut to the right size. To fix the hoops to the ground I cut short sections of thick cane, hammer them in, then slot the pipe hoop on. Works well.

Most netting I've seen for sale in garden centres is basically rubbish and very pricy too.

[allotmentann]

I have tied cheap netting around with string or pegged it with old tree prunings as stakes. Anything that protects the fruit works. Larger fruit or fruit that grows in clumps can actually have old plastic bags tied around them. It doesn't look pretty but it works. You need to put an air hole in the bag. 

[Honey65]

Thanks Wasthiswise.  I think thats a great idea.  Weekend project! 

[Alistair1392]

I purchased some green netting off eBay. Got 10 rolls of 10x2m for £10. The same stuff was £2.50 p/m at garden centre. It's amazing how far it goes aswell and keep the birds well away, I've just used some old branches to build a frame for them.

[Ivor Backache]

I purchased some green netting off eBay. Got 10 rolls of 10x2m for £10. The same stuff was £2.50 p/m at garden centre. It's amazing how far it goes aswell and keep the birds well away, I've just used some old branches to build a frame for them.

This is the netting that I used. Select two thin  bamboo canes, cut a length of netting to match and then thread one bamboo along the length of netting. Tape the net to the bamboo to secure at each end. Repeat along the other end of the net. Hold one bamboo in your left hand and the other in your right, stretch the net and lower over the bush. Repeat as necessary. Can get a bit tangled but they can be taken off with care and stored upright for next year. If you leave them lying on the ground, and forget them like I did  the weeds will grow through them.

[surbie100]

I used tanalised dahlia stakes for mine, and got some bird netting cut to size from Nutleys Kitchen Gardens (online). The netting is fab - woven so it doesn't tangle and big enough holes to let the bees in.

I have 2. Both about 5m long x 1m wide x 1.5m high. They cost £35ish each all in and should last a few years.