carrots and netting ?

[slowworm]

Hi all, I have just started a new allotment, and have put some carrot seedlings into two raised beds, someone said to me they will need netting to avoid birds, is this really necessary as I have a bit of an aversion to netting, having watched birds ( Dunnocks ) getting trapped in some of our neighbouring allotments

Thanks from Mark

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hi Slowworm

You'd be better off with environmesh or fleece to cover carrots - your enemy here is titchy carrot fly (which netting won't protect the carrots from), not birds.

[ESBkevin]

Birds and carrots are less of a concern than carrot fly. Fine mesh is the only guarantee for that although companion planting with marigolds and onions are reasonably effective.

[slowworm]

Hi Slowworm

You'd be better off with environmesh or fleece to cover carrots - your enemy here is titchy carrot fly (which netting won't protect the carrots from), not birds.

Thanks for the quick reply.... will take your advice

Mark

[Mr Growser...]

Debris netting - the sort you see covering scaffolding - is an effective barrier, and much cheaper than Enviromesh.

[Cadalot]

What Growster said

[Marcusp]

Debris netting wont protect against carrot fly. Its not fine enough. The only effective barrier is enviromesh or fleece.

Debris netting will only protect against birds and butterflies

[bramble]

Slowworm, if youre stuck you could always go to the charity shop and you will probably pick up some old net curtains that will do the job just as well. Just make sure its fine net.

[JMCKG]

I thought if you made the raised bed high enough 18-24" it was too high for carrot fly which hover lower nearer ground?

[Cadalot]

OK this drives me nuts, if the little beggers can't fly high how on earth do they actually get anywhere and when the wind hits a barrier the up draught is going to take them with it if they are that small and that light. so how can a 450 - 600mm fence or raising the bed be high enough to stop them?

[Jungle Jane]

It does depend where they are & how high the wind can lift them? Also they could be at risk if they can smell them from thinnings (my pots are about 60cm high). I space my carrots so they don't need thinning,but have used a couple of deadheaded lavender heads sprinkled over the top to mask the smell of carrots removed. Just in case!

[BUFFS]

I thought if you made the raised bed high enough 18-24" it was too high for carrot fly which hover lower nearer ground?

I built raised beds @ 24ins height a couple of years ago and after years of the carrots being chewed to pieces, I now get a clean crop, mind you, its probably too cold and dark for them, august, for the third year running, just cold and dark, and melons in the greenhouse are starting to droop as they slowly chill to death again, don't you just love these summers...but the parsnips seem to like it so not all is lost..

[JMCKG]

From RHS website.
Protect vulnerable crops by surrounding them with 60cm (2ft) high barriers made of clear polythene to exclude the low-flying female flies, or cover the plants with insect-proof netting, such as Enviromesh. It is essential to practise crop rotation with these methods, otherwise adult carrot flies may emerge within the protected crop from overwintered pupae in the soil

[muddled]

Slow worm, I think that birds get caught in netting they cannot easily see, fleece (being opaque and brilliant white) is unlikely to snare them.

You are going to need to use netting at some point if you ever want to grow winter greens or soft fruit or the birds will have the lot. Then the debris netting mentioned above for use on scaffolding, stretched tight...should also be pretty obvious to birds.