Fruit cage - fad or functional?

[chrisdb]

I hope it's a communication thing as despite apologising for coming over strong you appear to immediately say that you suspect most people on this site cover 90% if their gardens and live in a concrete jungle. This may be true of some but I've seen very little evidence that this is remotely widespread either on this forum or where I live. Looking out my front window now I can see several front gardens and common hedgerows. Whilst people have driveways for their vehicles they also have plenty of wildlife friendly plants.

I meant the latter garden size and location was the more common case. I meant that the vast majority of posters here probably don't have half an acre in a rural location and therefore their veg and fruit plot is likely to be a much bigger proportion of their total garden. The extent to which netting should be used is the open question.

Given the topic of the previous post is garden size and location I think it's pretty clear what I meant, just as it was clear to me from the various caveats in previous posts that I wasn't saying that all use of netting is always evil in all circumstan es, simply that it most certainly isn't 100% unquestionably good or kind either.

[Gillykat]

On my site the pigeons are a selection of all three, though predominantly wood pigeons.

I've yet to see any of the Wood Pigeons from nearby umpteen-thousand acres Hulne Park on the allotment despite being warned last year to keep things (mainly brassicas) covered - it's the neighbours racing pigeons which do their best to snaffle my crops Though I must admit it was MY fault they got the sugar snap peas - I planted them out as juicy young plants and didn't put a border around them but instead had them in the open ground

And my slugs.....they were quite stingy in leaving me any iceberg lettuce but between them and the Polytunnel Vole I did manage at least three strawberries!

[boatsman]

In all the years I have had fruit trees I have never had any problems with birds. We have starlings, pigeons and occasionally myna birds, but none have ever gone near the blueberries. At one time I used to hang up old cds with a bit of string from the branches but I soon found it didn't make any difference, the birds just ignored the flashing colours.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I have halved apples out on my lawn at the back of the house and I also scatter the blueberries which her ladyship rejects as too soft etc but I net my soft fruit at my allotment to exclude birds. If I didn't, the birds would have all the home grown blue berries, most of the strawberries and too many of the raspberries.

Now I enjoy wildlife, but if anyone called me a freeloader to my face for netting my fruit, they wouldn't do it again . It takes a lot of work,to plant, weed and maintain fruit. Birds don't starve if I don't grow fruit or prevent them from stealing mine. There is plenty for the birds to eat out there in the summer months and it is histrionic in the extreme to try to say birds are starving because gardeners net their fruit.

[Alison]

I meant the latter garden size and location was the more common case. I meant that the vast majority of posters here probably don't have half an acre in a rural location and therefore their veg and fruit plot is likely to be a much bigger proportion of their total garden. The extent to which netting should be used is the open question.

Given the topic of the previous post is garden size and location I think it's pretty clear what I meant, just as it was clear to me from the various caveats in previous posts that I wasn't saying that all use of netting is always evil in all circumstan es, simply that it most certainly isn't 100% unquestionably good or kind either.

I've read it again and to be honest I still don't think you're being clear and feel you still come over as very judgemental about people you don't know based on a sample of people you do know in Nottingham. If you don't mean to then fine, that's obviously good but, I can see from other posts that I'm not the only one to read it that way.

Re size of plot, it's worth noting that a lot of us here have access to more than the average amount of land be it at home or an allotment. We are also probably far more in tune with nature than many householders who have no interest in their garden. For your information not only do I not cover 90% of my garden as you see as common, I don't net anything and only the bare minimum is put over to either grass or hard landscaping. This is totally normal for almost everybody I know. I will however continue to net some of my fruit, my brassicas and carrots on my lottie.