Veg netting hoops - height?

[janzbro]

Hi, as a basic rule of thumb, how high or how long should the plastic pipe hoops be to hold the netting off the plants.

I saw big malls link to the clips at screwfix (cheers) and have a load of 16mm under floor heating pipe going spare that I can use for the hoops but want to get them cut and made up ready for the start of the growing season.

[Bigmallly]

I'm assuming it's Brassicas you are wanting to protect:
It all depends what you are growing Janz............a rough guide would be 3-4 ft high for cabbages & caulis, 4-5ft high for calabrese, sprouts & PSB. the higher you can go the better as butterflies can lay their eggs through the netting onto any leaves touching it. If you can make them adjustable even better, just hammer some tubing into the soil or fix to a wooden frame then push your pipe either inside or over it depending on diameter. You can then make the pipe to your desired height. Also depends on what netting you are using, 10ft wide debris netting will stretch to around 12 ft. Not a concrete answer but may help with your calculations.
Obviously fruit trees/bushes would be different heights.

[bravo2zero]

For standard 2mts wide enviromesh a hoop of six foot gives plenty of clearance for lowish growing stuff like carrots etc. The hoops have a metal spike in each end with bed width at four foot. This give plenty of room to weigh edges down.

[janzbro]

Cheers guys, I do have 2m wide debris netting that I was going to use as butterfly netting.

do I need to get this netting on as soon as the veg is planted out and keep it till harvest?

[Bigmallly]

It would be a good idea cos it would also keep the birds off.

[JMCKG]

Best to keep covered throughout the growing season. In our area we are bothered by pigeons that can clear a crop in a night.

[janzbro]

I didnt think of the birds eating the veg, do you usually have to cover everything in netting all season ?

[Greenleaves]

All my hoops are 2mtrs long, wide enough for single rows of Cabbage, Cauliflowers, double rows of Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot, Leeks etc. I use a cane along the top of the hoops for stability.

Taller crops like Kale, PSB and sprouts you need more hieght but I grow mine in a cage.

I leave mine covered from sowing/planting until harvest.

[JMCKG]

I didnt think of the birds eating the veg, do you usually have to cover everything in netting all season ?

Just about, funny thing is the pigeons seem to attack only the plots at one end of allotments. Trees at that end is I suppose they sit there watching for us to leave.