Allotments 4 All

Hi,

I've read somewhere that you can make net curtain protection for individual fruit bushes.
Has anyone used these and how do you make them? I have loads of fruit bushes which need protection and these will hopefully be the answer!
Thanks Ripley

Get your curtains as cheap as you can and as fine.Wait until the bees have done their job and then cover. I have made some bags out of netting for mine and used the old toggles from the fleece once that disintegrated

Just throwing the nets over the bushes doesn't always work well as pigeons land and try to eat and the fat flying rats can break branches,

You need a cage structure.

I think it was Digeroo who recommends buying the curtains from Ikea as cheap and up to the job.  But netting is quite cheap on ebay these days and it's delivered to your door.  But it has to be treated with respect or it tears.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270613707006&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140497223592&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

That netting is ok if you are just protecting from birds.We have to protect from aphids therefore the fine netting. I did put a post up under pests and deseases (fruit protection) if you are interested

Netting should work as long as it's on before the birds start taking an interest. Then they're never going to be sniffing round the bushes. You need to sew enough to make a decent tent and cover it properly, as pigeons tend to land beside the bushes and walk in underneath.

Hi

Thank you for all your advice. I think I'm going to get the sewing machine out and make individual pill string bags out of net curtains I can get from charity shops.

Not sure what it will look like! ;D

Thanks Ripley

Make them good and big.

Heres the one I made earlier ;D

Wow thank you so much for the photo Shirlton I know now just how to do it.
I have well over 25 bushes to cover so I better get sewing! I love mt allotment but theres so much to do!
Thanks for all the replies and advice. Ripley ;D

You can also get packs of large, plain net curtains from IKEA, at a very low price - ideal for draping or making into covers.
No pattern, so no holes, our guess is that they are aphid proof.

You do have to make sure that there is no way in for the little blighter hence the drawstring at the bottom . The top drawstring enables easy picking.
I can make 2 bags out of each curtain so its very inexpensive

I've just been given lots of old net curtains from a closing building- they were to go in the skip!! So while the bad weather is here I intend having a go at last at sewing the covers. All for free :)

Thanks Ripley

try freecycle :)

I recommend the same trick over purple sprouting to keep the pigeons off.. ;D

I never thought of net curtains for the PSB! I threw an old one over the cherry tree though. Didn't do any sewing. But fruit bushes are a bit different I suppose.

We always net our PSB with pond netting over wire netting and the pigeons sit on the top and weigh it down till it reaches the plants

They do that to me as well, but there's always enough left for a crop. It does limit the quantity though.

They're determined. They're really stripping the kale at the moment - I suppose it's their 'hungry gap.' We're a bit fed up with kale and so I've sort of donated them to the gentlepigeon relief fund, but the PSB I want for myself.