[snow white]

Out of interest, do you have pictures of the manner in which you cover your crops from pests.  I am after a few ideas as some of mine are just not working at the moment.   

[JayG]

Might be helpful if you make the question a bit more specific - which crops, which pests, and in what ways aren't yours working?

[luke34]

i use old trampoline leg of freecycle. just turn them upside down and push into the ground

[snow white]

Ok.   An enlargement of my question....

1.  My brassica cage, which I enlarged enough to walk in. Was constructed with blue water pipe and canes. Was fine last year, but collapsed with the high winds and heavy rain of this summer.  Don't really want to go back to the small hoops I originally had as it makes watering, weeding and harvesting so time consuming.  Considering buying a cheap polytunnel and covering it with my netting.  Would it survive?

2.  Broad beans.  For the first time ever, birds took 75% of my crop before I even realised what was happening.  How do you net yours?

3.  Covers for raised beds.  Have seen some nifty constructions and would love to see any of your ideas!

4.  any other solutions you have come up with that would be useful

Very grateful for all comments. 

[mumofstig]

Considering buying a cheap polytunnel and covering it with my netting.  Would it survive?

Yes, I have one of the old painted frame versions and it's 7 years old - but the joints are rusting away, now. I suggest you opt for the slightly more expensive galvanised frame option.

Most people's bed covers are on hoops, or just propped up on canes with bottle tops - so wonder what else you want to see can you give us a clue?

[surbie100]

I mostly use blue water pipe hoops, but I've also built 2 frames for fruit beds. These are painted treated dahlia stakes.

Pics on my diary entry: http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=101097.msg1409860#msg1409860

[snow white]

Thanks Surbie.  Loved the pastel coloured raised beds.  Thank you for posting.  Looks very neat and tidy,  Plot envy here.

[surbie100]

Thanks Surbie.  Loved the pastel coloured raised beds.  Thank you for posting.  Looks very neat and tidy,  Plot envy here.

Taken from a distance on purpose so the weeds don't show. 

[Goneterseed]

This is my brassica frame. It's 10' x 12' and holds 30 cauli/sprout size plants. The netting round the sides is stapled on but the top net is stretched over and clipped in place. There are two gates (in bare wood for easy access.) The frames unscrew for storage.

[GrannieAnnie]

My best ones were debris netting over canes, but where the 6ft canes wouldn't have let me walk inside, I joined them together with cheap cable ties from Poundland, then pushed them into the ground for 18 inches.

Then a short one that had one end hooked round so I could get inside easily and then just the other one around my small carrot bed to keep the carrot fly out.

Worked a treat for me.

[Thrutchington]

Used enviromesh for the first time tho year to keep carrot fly off and have to say it was worth the outlay, done a great job.

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

I use blue water pipes again but cross them over in the middle (idea originated from someone else on this forum). The pipe stays in position by a bit of wire threaded through a hole drilled into the pipes where they cross.  I hammer a short length of waste pipe eg: http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Black-Solvent-Weld-Waste-Pipe-32mm-x-1500mm/p/160073 part way into the ground and the blue water pipe just sits in this to keep it in place. It works brilliantly-has right amount of flexibility to stand up to gales and only needs a few pegs to keep the netting in place if you ensure it's taut (I tie the excess in knots at the corners). Also is dead easy to move around each season.

[cadalot]

Take a look at this thread http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=119416.0

I tried the really high construction and it didn't work it was unstable before the netting went on so I trimmed it down to about 5 foot high and if you look at the photo I have uses a blue pipe connected to the hoops as a brace to stiffen the structure and provide lateral restraint against wind.

I have plastic along the bottom of the netting which is held in place with plastic milk bottles filled with sand, so pulling up one side at a time I can get in quickly and easily when I need too

The photo on the middle was before I levelled it up a little more and added the sway brace to stiffen the whole frame up. The photo on the right was the MK I version which was just way too high and flimsy

[snow white]

I will post what has  happened to mine later.  I think I made it too big!

[snow white]

I think it was too big