Allotments 4 All

Ive got raised beds and use plastic water pipe to make hoops to keep the netting up, at the moment i use garden netting with roughly 7mm holes but thinking about using scaffold netting this year instead as its stronger but is it ok to cover my veg with this

I do.

I use it for Brassica, carrot and parsnip mainly, works a treat :)

Going to measure my hoops tomorrow think i will need the 3m wide to cover the beds. I ripped one of my current nets trying to shake the snow off last week so thought the scaffold netting is a better option.

scaffold netting is very strong but because the holes are fine snow can settle on it easily and weigh it down so it has to be anchored down very well

.........and crossing the hoops in an "x" makes for stronger support too  ;)

Ninny

thanks everyone, not planning on leaving them out in the snow next year the reason i did this year was because i planted spring cabbage

Hi Marc, Hi all  :)

I think that blue pipe and debris netting is the best combination for carrots and leaf crops if you can get enough of both. Wider netting is required for crops that need more insect pollination, like peas and fruit.

My fruit cage has debris netting on the sides but wide mesh on the top.

Col

Yeah i got about 50m of the blue pipe for nothing and just ordered my debris netting, i didn't bother covering up my peas last year and they were fine, i need to cover cabbage cauliflower mainly. Cant wait to get going this year im down everday for my chickens and just want to get going with everything else

I am going to  put hoops and scaffolding net  up this spring, Thanks for the tip about crossing the hoops never thought of that.
            June.

Hi

I need better supports on mine next year.  I had braced them with canes tied along the length at the top and sides and it withstood most of the weather but reinforcements are needed this summer!

I got my debris netting here....

http://www.tarpaulins-togo.co.uk/category-69/Debris-Netting.html

3m x 50m and sold some to other allotment holders too, I had worried that I was buying too much but actually could have shared it with a lot more people.

This year I am going to make better covers for my broccoli though as the hoops were not high enough.  Must go and study Duke's wonderful sprout cover.

T.

I ordered my scaffold debris netting today.Should arrive tomorrow from Scaffold Direct. Need it to cover this.

Quotei didn't bother covering up my peas last year and they were fine

In these parts the pigeons will sit on top of a pea fence waiting for you to turn your back. They will ruin the plants or the peas at any size, and the pheasants will browse on any legume up to eight feet high.

Thats why I net everything, Col

I love the structure above.  ;D

I find they sit on peas and get what they can, but mine are too unstable for them to reach most of the crop! They almost wiped mine out this summer, when they normally leave crops alone once the weather warms up.