Lettuce and Carrots - Net or Fleece

[cammi]

Just a quick newbie question, but I should think everyone is outside on this lovely day! Yes I was advised about bird netting especially over PSB. What do you use over lettuce and carrots?? Netting, Fleece or something else?


Many thanks

[WendyC]

I use enviromesh over carrots but don't cover lettuces unless I've just planted them out and think the might need protecting from the cold, then I use a net tunnel. I don't use fleece outside as I find it just shreds on the allotment. I had a fleece tunnel once which lasted about a week.

[Bren In Pots]

Cammi ideally you need to cover your carrots because of carrot fly damage have a read here :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...veg_76685.html

[cammi]

enviromesh is new to me will have too google. Thats for the link (still finding my way around the site).

I just wondered if the mesh kept caterpillars off, do you mesh cabbages??

[cammi]

I have to put something over each bed, the keep the chickens out, so instead of netting over the carrots and lettuce (in one bed) would envriomesh be ok, so do some good fliers need to get in

[Alison]

That's fine over both carrots and lettuce, neither need to be pollinated so keeping insects off isn't a problem.

[WendyC]

Enviromesh is good to keep out the cabbage whites too!

[AllInContainers]

Plants onions in with your carrots (to keep carot fly away) if you don't want to be looking at netting all the time. Sage close by should help dissuade cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs on the PSB (If only I knew that last year ... )

[WendyC]

The netting is chicken deterrent too, not sure onions and sage would have the same effect.

[cammi]

The netting is chicken deterrent too, not sure onions and sage would have the same effect.

LOL! Not with my girls!

Many thanks everyone sounds like I may be doubling up in place - net for chickens and mesh for bugs. I think the chicken would just land on the mesh and dig it

[Martin H]

I use a single layer of fleece over my carrots. It keeps the flies off, that's all I need. It stays on from sowing to harvest if they survive the slugs that long.