Topic: Fruit cages

[DocAlgae]

How did you build your fruit cages?  I've investigated a lot of ways from the hideously expensive nursery-bought constructions to using bamboo canes and netting.  Can anyone recommend a good (preferably cheap!) way of constructing a fruit cage?  I have an area 5 metres by 3 metres to cover (and I'm six foot, so would be good if I could manage to walk in the cage!)

[derbex]

That's a big area Doc, I'm thinking of using an old frame tent frame -EJ has done this- and draping that with netting. Otherwise it might be the bamboo route -perhaps using those rubber balls to hold it all together- although I'm not sure how sturdy this would be. It's really a next years's problem though :)

Funnily enough the birds seem to ignore the raspberries in the garden -even though  they like the strawbs ???

Jeremy

[Mrs Ava]

Yes, recycled an old frame tent and wired netting to it.  Very neat it is also, and you can make it as tall as you like!

Darn birds had all my redcurrants on my allotment last year, before cage, and yet in the garden, not one lost!

[Jesse]

We will be building our fruit cage soon. We're using copper piping (my husband is a plumber so gets it at a good price) to construct the frame and then will cover with netting. My fruit cage will also be about 5m x 3m and about 5-6ft high. My strawberries are in a different bed so some plastic water piping (MDPE) arched over the bed covered with netting (a bit like a mini polytunnel shape).