Having purchased fine mesh (viromesh) from Kays a month back, I was thinking how others place/support it over their crops. I will be using it to keep carrot-fly off my carrots and also to cover my turnips which got a right-eating from flea-beetle last year.
Do you place the mesh loosely over the soil at time of planting (secured to the soil at all sides) and let the carrots push it up when they grow? Or do you support it off the soil above the plants? I was thinking of using short canes with plastic bottles on then to support the mesh and keep it from tearing.
Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks,
Thomas
I think carrots would pretty much look after themselves if the mesh is loose -that's my plan anyway :)
I will probably use the bottles on sticks method for the brassicas this year, although one chap on our site has a large cloche -alkane pipe on a wooden frame that he uses -but it's only about 3' * 2 ' and I was thinking of the whole bed.
I use the bottles on sticks with my strawberry netting and it's OK.
Jeremy
Depending on the size of the bed and the width of the mesh you could use the hoops I describe in this post as I prefer the support the mesh/fleece above the plants:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,28/topic,8023.0
You could also make large hoops out of blue plastic pipe with wooden pegs driven into each end to support it.
Anchor the seides with tent pegs or similar.
HTH
Jerry
You can also make supports from three short lengths of bamboo and two short lengths of old hose pipe.
Use one length of bamboo to stretch across the width of the bed, poke both the ends of this into two bits of hose pipe, then put two shorter bamboo canes into the other ends of the hosepipe.
You can see a rough idea and pictures of how to use hose and bamboo together on the 'making things' page of the Wiki
Thanks for asking the question, I'm in the same situation, bought some last week.
Nice photo guide Jerry, great help, although I bought some hoops from Kays last year that look identical to your finished hoops! Until now they have just sat in the shed, they will be getting a new lease of life next week, when I have finished work...rather be gardening ;D
Thanks all for the advice.
Thomas
i use white plastic tubing from b&q (plumbing dept.) arch it over and place it onto small canes in the ground. that way you can adjust the height. i'll take a picture next time i'm at the lotment.
photos posted in new topic - diy cloches/ tunnels
Thanks fbgrifter,
I will take a look....
Thomas
Just to say I used Jerry's method last year with fleece, I didn't find the fleece hard wearing enough -but maybe there are different grades.
This year the mesh is supposed to be wide enough to cover a bed, so wire wouldn't be strong enough -although pipe, or maybe bamboo canes and tennis balls should be.