[stu007]

What do people use to hold up (and down to the ground) their anti pigeon netting?

[compostqueen]

don't know but whatever it is keep it taut so you're not trapping birds and killing them  

I use Enviromesh on my brassicas but I did lose a piece in the high winds the other week, and the pigeons had a field day  :roll:   it was well weighed down with lengths of timber but not well enough

I don't really like that mesh or netting which can trap the birds. The Enviromesh is close woven and keeps insects off as well as birds and it can be draped directly over the veg or tacked or stapled to timber supports

[Aunt Sally]

I use long garden canes laid on it and weighted down with bricks. Simple !

[Rampant_Weasel]

don't know but whatever it is keep it taut so you're not trapping birds and killing them  

I use Enviromesh on my brassicas but I did lose a piece in the high winds the other week, and the pigeons had a field day  :roll:   it was well weighed down with lengths of timber but not well enough

I don't really like that mesh or netting which can trap the birds. The Enviromesh is close woven and keeps insects off as well as birds and it can be draped directly over the veg or tacked or stapled to timber supports

i agree, i found a dead blackbird in my nets last year which i wasnt happy about.dont mind killing pests like pigeon, squirrel, rats mice etc but not the blackbird and its relaxing tunes.....
anyway, this year made a box frame out of 'inch be 2' and tie wrapped some crop netting to it, job done.
2 reasons for this
1 its not pigeons so much is the deadly buttefly/caterpillar combo that decimated my brassicas last year.its alright the organic books saying check for eggs etc but when u work 12 -14 hr shifts and then 8hrs off until the next shift its not practical.
2 i did use the aunt sally method but found i had to take it to bits and then reassemble to weed.i find with a box apart from the time making it (which i enjoyed anyway) its a simple lift on lift off procedure to get to the plants.

[clive f]

have you got any photo's please ?

[Rampant_Weasel]

no but ill go and take some shortly, watch this space

[Rampant_Weasel]

here we are , i`m not the best joiner in the world but it works.in the summer i shall heap soil round the ends as the ground is uneven and i have to gaps from a 'design fault' lol.
also used to big wood making it a touch heavy altho it wont blow away in the wind i have yet to make a sprout cage which i`ll use 'inch be 2' all round and not those big posts for the frame.

[compostqueen]

brilliant!

Mine was supposed to look like that but the timber I used was too puny  :oops:   Oh well back to the drawing board

[Rampant_Weasel]

its very easy to do, anyone could do it even frank spencer
its just a case of straight cuts, drilling pilot holes and screwing it together.there are no awkard cuts or anything technical at all.the secret is designing it in your head b4hand.something to do at work
basically i made 2 rectangles, then screwed the vertical posts to each rectangle and put some bracing on each side to strengthen it up.

[clive f]

brillant r-w thank's for the photo's  

[matron]

Absolutely brilliant. My OH is going to be very busy by the time he has made me my shed, built me Munty's bean frame AND then made me some of those net frames.  :roll:

[Teen76]

About blackbirds getting caught up in the nets, it was I think my first or second day at my allotment a few weeks ago and I saw one caught up in my neighbour's netting.  I thought I was going to have to try and help it but it eventually got out.  Made me think about the whole netting issue, especially that green nylon stuff.  Perhaps I'll use some old net curtains instead.  Don't know how well they work.  I was planning to use it to keep of those Cabbage White Butterflies!

Does any one else use net curtains?  Mine is really fine mesh with no large holes in them at all.

[Zippy]

Thanks for the warnings re: birds in netting. I was going to drape netting over vertical canes with plastic milk bottles over the top to hold the netting up, but this would be too loose now I think about birds.

While I am on, what gauge netting is recommended against Cabbage White? Is it enough to use the 2cm diameter garden netting or do I need nearer a fleece?.

I think I may try threading a long beanpole through all milk bottle ends to form a solid cage and hold the bottoms of the net down with timber and rubble.

Next step up will be a timber frame but only if I can salvage some from somewhere - freecycling and all that!

[compostqueen]

Enviromesh is good stuff and birds won't get trapped in it.  I find net curtains go ever so saggy when wet, cos very fine, but the Enviromesh doesn't.  You can stretch it taught over those frames too and tack it in place. It's dear though.   You can drape it over veg and weigh it down too

[crowndale]

Talking of enviromesh the courier has just dropped off an order I made on monday!  Got enviromesh for the brassicas and ultra fine tunnel kit for the carrots.  I used netting last year for brassicas, something like 7mm, not quite 1cm, and the butterflies STILL got in, thus the enviromesh route this year!