Praise Nets for Cabbages and Soft Fruit

Nets or horticultural fleece are great for crop protection. I can’t praise them high enough for looking after this years soft fruit.

After a week in the Alps I returned home expecting the birds to have decimated my Raspberry crop. Fortunately the family jam maker had the presence of mind to peg white horticultural fleece over the ripening berries. We returned home to a good crop of red raspberries and empty bird feeders.

The picture shows how pigeons are kept off the brassica crops at Ripley Castle gardens in Yorkshire.

Nets and horticultural fleece allow water through but keep most pests out. The can be good for deterring carrot root fly for another example.
Fleece seems to bring on plants a bit quicker and you will see more and more farmers using the fleece early in the season.

The heavy weight fleece is available with other products from Amazon

Netting is used for supporting climbers. Peas and beans like some support and many flowers will clamber up netting strategically placed. I didn’t take enough care with this years sweet pea nets and am suffering as a consequence.