Topic: Carrot Fly Barrier

[amanda21]

I have constructed my carrot fly barrier with canes and fleece but the pegs keep pinging off in the wind.

They are only household pegs - does anyone know where I can get stronger pegs or is there another method of holding the fleece to the canes?  ???

[supersprout]

tim recommended these sort of clamps
http://www.toolshopdirect.co.uk/handtool/product/WFC3420
In the local Poundshop you can buy 'stormproof pegs', but I've not tried them with canes
Would it be worth a try to tie string around the canes at the right height, with clove hitches to prevent slippage, and peg the fleece along the string, like a washing line?
Instead of a vertical barrier on my windy plot, I use full mesh cloches to keep out pests, with tennis balls from the Poundshop like a home made 'build-a-ball' for taller crops (where the edges of a cloche would be too low), see with cabbage below, but is also fine for carrots.

[amanda21]

Thanks supersprout.  I will have a look at Tim's clamps and the string between the canes sounds an idea too.  Oh how I wish we had poundshops round here! 

I think if it's going to be a big problem I might just drap the fleece over the carrots.

[sandersj89]

This may help, more a tunnel than a barrier but it works very well and nothing gets blown away.

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,28/topic,8023.0

Jerry

[euronerd]

If you do this sort of thing with bits of old hose or tube, they make quite effective clips for canes.



Poundland has some horrible 'garden hose', about 30m I think, which will make loads, but something more substantial such as Alkathene, is more suitable.


Geoff.

[supersprout]

That is so cool euronerd! Have you got a special package? ::)

[SMP1704]

Like the tennis ball idea Supersprout.

I have my carrots under cloches at the moment - only becuase two days after sowing them the weather turned and we had night frosts.  I didn't think it was necessary to protect from carrot fly until the plants were at the thinning stage??

I have built a fleece cage around my peas - designed to baffle the pidgeons and also any flying pests - pea moth etc and also proect from frost.  I used pallet wood and a staple gun - holding so far.

I'm a big string fan ;D ;D, so maybe snipping tiny holes in the fleece then threading thro the string to tie around the cane would work and also burying a couple of inches of fleece into the soil helps to stablise the whole arrangement.

Good luch

[euronerd]

Er, is this the place to be discussing that? :o









Oh, you mean the drawing? ;) No it's a standard vector drawing program called Xara Xtreme. I use it loads for both work and pleasure, so it's often as quick to do something like that as it is to give long complicated explanations. Just glad that it comes across ok. ;D
Link to some demos below:

http://www.xara.com/products/xtreme/default.asp?t=


Geoff.

[bennettsleg]

On the Grdenre's World special last month one of the old lottie hands used to sow his carrots before May and than post thinning, earth them up v gently and keep an eye on their earthing levels through the year.  He said that this stopped the smell of carrots and he never had a problem with carrot fly.

Anyone else ever tried this? I plan to give it a go this year.

[amanda21]

Wow - some great designing going on here!  Thanks all for your suggestions.  Whilst in Tescos today I noticed they had Tim's grippers in various sizes so I have bought some for now - although it is now pouring with rain so I expect that when I finally get to the plot again the fleece will be just a soggy mess scrunched at the bottom of canes!  Yuk! 

By the way I have planted some onion sets in the same bed so hoping they too will help in the carrot fly battle!   ::)

[laurieuk]

If you can sow your carrot seed very thinly you will not need to thin and so will avoid that chance of carrot fly, if you use the barrier method that relies on the fly not flying above about 18" you must be certain you have not had carrots in that soil for at least two years, as the fly overwinters below soil level and you can trap it INSIDE your barrier.