[The Golden Heap]

Hi all, Ive been struggling with canes and netting to protect my brassica's.  Fortuantely a good friend of mine got me a roll of 32mm diameter blue water pipe.  What is the best length to cut it to to net and protect all my veg??

[Kleftiwallah]

Measure the width of your net then add on about 24 "  (12" each end for the pipe to go into the ground and then a bit more for the rocks/bricks to hold it down). 

Cheers,    Tony.

[GrannieAnnie]

My pipe never went into the ground.  I put my canes in the ground so they were as tall as I needed, then measured the pipe to the width of the space, plus 12 inches.  The pipe then fitted over the canes and gave me a little hoop shape, if you know what I mean?

My pipe wasn't as thick as 32mm though.

This year I bought myself some debris netting, and hammered into the ground 4 bits of 2x2, then Brian gave me some old cable wire, which we stretched around the top of 3 sides of the area, leaving one side for me to get into.  Then I stretched my netting round the sides and cable tied the top over the middle with a taller cane in the centre to make a 'tent' effect.

The 4 uprights Brian then put in diagonal bits of wood to help keep them upright in the wind.

[gavinjconway]

Hi all, Ive been struggling with canes and netting to protect my brassica's.  Fortuantely a good friend of mine got me a roll of 32mm diameter blue water pipe.  What is the best length to cut it to to net and protect all my veg??

You need to see the size of netting you have and also the size of the beds and come to a compromise ..

[mumofstig]

think this may help
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=59123.msg691492#msg691492

[gavinjconway]

think this may help
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=59123.msg691492#msg691492

Great link mum...

[The Golden Heap]

thankyou for the advise, pigeons attached again goingunder the nets and doing in the Brocs!! hung some CD up as well until I cut the pipe up!!

[Kirpi]

I like this idea and will try it on one bed and see how it goes.

At present, I am using four foot canes with one foot rammed into the soil, a plastic drinking bottle on the end of the cane to stop the cane from running through the netting and the netting edges pegged down with wire hoops and old wire tent pegs.

I like the old hosepipe or blue water piping idea but I don't know why I think it maight be better than my method with the old pop bottles. Less cane lengths I suppose.

[pipfit]

I cut the pipe 12" longer than the netting width.for 2metre netting pipe 4 ft wide 3 metre 5ft
3metre extra height for sprouts etc

[greenhead]

For a stronger anchor use 15mm copper pipe 12" in the ground and say 12 - 15 " in the pipe, OK for 20/25mm blue pipe.