Topic: what to net ?

[captainhastings]

I am a bit unsure if what I need to net to protect from pigeons, crows etc from seedlings . I think peas are a good bet but do I need to net the likes of runners and broad beans ? Also what about root crops such as swede and turnips ?
Then I have the ground attacks from slugs I guess they go for most things. I have found my netting if I dig in the edges seems to help keep slugs out I noticed there trails all over the top of the netting I have hiding young cabbage amazing how they seem to know

[grannyjanny]

We have to net all brassicas from day 1 but daughter on a different site just nets for a few weeks. Blackcurrants, red currants & gooseberries are in a fruit cage & there is space in there for tall perennial brassicas. What do others do on your site? If you have to resort to slug pellets put them in a lidded container with a hole at the side, there might be hedgehogs on the site so please think of wildlife.

[goodlife]

I have to net peas through out their life..or they will be munched to nothing by sparrows.
Brassicas I only partially net ..that means while they are young they might get some sort of covering until they start putting growth on. At the moment mine have all manner of scarers dangling from strings. The don't keep sparrows away but do seem to put pigeons off.
Beetroot and radish I cover up for few weeks with bread trays..again they usually won't be eaten once bit bigger.
Carrots and parsnips gets netted with enviromesh as soon as the seeds germinate..against carrot fly.
Last year I lost my squash plants for slugs and snails..this year the ground they are planted had nematode treatment and it has worked wonders ..young plants are under clear domes during night to keep chill away and they have company of 2-3 slug pellets per plant, so far hardly any has been touch .
Other than that rest will cope and I tend to get a decent drop without major netting operation.

[caroline7758]

I'm surprised to hear your squash were eaten by slugs- I've always found squash, pumpkins and squash are not touched.

Sounds like I need to get out and net my peas!

[brown thumb]

I  net cabbages against pigeons and cabbage whites, Strawberries from blackbirds and have structures in place for the Raspberries (Autumn Bliss) Cherry trees loaded but too large to net , just hoping  the birds will be willing to share the currants

[Digeroo]

I net fruit, brassicas, carrots, leeks.  Peas and beans are started under bottles, but later they just get sticks sticking out and cotton thread which keep the pigeons away.

Courgettes some varieties are under attack from slugs, they seem to like Tromba d'albenga a lot.   All courgettes start under bottles with a few pellets.  Some years ago I grew Clarita and Magda to my eye they were exactly the same in every respect, except the slugs certainly knew the difference.

Summer raspberries need netting but so far the autumn ones have been untouched.

We have problems from, pigeons, rabbits, deer, children, thieves, voles, slugs, pheasants, root flies, caterpillars, squirrels, dogs and people who go tramping through in their size 10 boots..  It is something of a surprise anything grows at all.

[elhuerto]

I have this theory about netting to prevent damage from birds, and it's only that and probably only useful here but thought I'd share anyway. We have loads of pigeons around but they never touch anything in the allotment, same with sparrows. I think it may be because they're not familiar with peas, soft fruits and seedlings - sounds daft but I can't see why else they don't touch anything on the allotment. Nobody else here has peas, strawberries, raspberries etc in their allotments so I believe the birds just don't see it as a food source and are not accustomed to searching it out. It's probably a rubbish theory and I'm just lucky but I don't net anything but brassicas due to the white fly.

[goodlife]

it is not rubbish theory at all..I've notice birds definitely has learned behaviour for what they are willing to eat.
I don't have to net any of my soft fruit,,some of my red currants do get eaten but there is more than plenty left for us..raspberries and black currants are mostly left alone..strawberries need some form of security but alpine strawberries are not accepted And blueberries are totally alien food for them 
I know only one allotment on our site that net their soft fruit or has fruit cage. Either it is case of birds being picky or we just have such a supply available that there is plenty to go by for the birds and gardeners 

[Nomspatch]

This is my first year with full bed polycloches and due to their structure I have also netted them all...the covers are off now due to the nicer weather but the net stays on, at least until things get too big, the net (I feel) does two jobs as it is under the poly cover it is an extra layer of insulation early in the year and then it provides the new plantings with a microclimate which helps bring things on ( I found our first courgette today, that is at least 2 weeks earlier than ever before here)...oh I forgot there is another reason for net..it keeps cats off the beds...

[kt.]

Never netted anything but this year netted cherry tree.  Not beat the birds to one the 5 years it has been in the ground.......

[Robert_Brenchley]

I find it varies from year to year. Sometimes veg have to be netted all year round. Other years, the pigeons lose interest in spring, and there isn't much of a problem until the first cold weather. Once they start, everything has to be netted. Peas always need netting, first as seedlings, and later when the peas form. They've never touched my climbing beans or broadies, but slugs are always a menace when anything's newly planted out. A few (I mean a few!) slug pellets stop most of that, but there's always the odd one.