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Fruit cages

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Mrs Ava:
I have finally planted my raspberry canes, and have a selection of other soft fruits on my plot.  It isn't practical to erect fruit cages to cover all of the bushes as they are in several groups - yes I know maybe I should have several fruit cages, but I'm working on a budget, and thinking of space etc.  So my question is, how necessary do you all think a cage is and if I do construct one, should it be over rasps, currants, goosegogs or strawbs?  The brambles that form a hedge along one side of the whole site were laden with fruit all late summer right into autumn, and hardly touched.  Shall I make some birdy scarers?  Advice oh fruit growers please  ;D

rdak:
I planted some canes last year in my garden. we don't have many birds. the raspberries and blackberries I don't think were touched, but the redcurrants were stripped bare of their buds by a plague of finches!
As for the gooseberry, the caterpillars just stripped if of every leaf it had, so the birds didn't get a chance!

legless:
i only have a cage over my raspberries and my gooseberries and blackcurrants were covered in fruit when i inherited them

also used to work picking raspberries for a grower and obviously they weren't in a cage, dunno how they scared the birds away though....

Ceri:
I'm in exactly the same position - just planted my raspberries and no cage - I'm thinking of putting a length of timber in each corner and draping it with some form of netting - I think as long as the netting is not directly over the fruit, this should keep the birds away.  I'm sure I read somewhere that the top has to be quite taut though as a pigeon's weight could make it sag enough to reach the fruit - so I'm thinking on!

Mrs Ava:
hmmm.  I don't like netting Ceri, don't wanna be detangling birds on a balmy summers day, also, I should think it makes picking the fruits more of a pain....hmmm..  As for pigeons on top - I know they do that to get at the sprouts and cabbages...would they do that to get at the fruit too?  I really am in a quandry on this one - last year the saw or sword, never know which, fly catterpillars stripped every single leaf off one of my redcurrant bushes.  The bush had already set fruit, and as they ripened they looked like glinting rubies - amazing, and do you know, I didn't loose one to the birds.  Infact, I reakon that the lack of leaves helped them ripen quicker and they were so delish!  I don't suppose the lack of leaves has helped the long term health of the plant, but oh what to do?!?

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