Building Brassica Cage - Size query

[Ananke]

Yeah it's debris netting, I bought it online from a scaffolding supplier.

[Pies]

Bed is 1.2m wide,the debris netting has bungee cord threaded all round an this holds on little clips



Sides down



Sides up

[Ananke]

That looks great Pies

[allotment grower]

hi we have an allotment on the edge of woodlands and a piegons wonderland if you dont net it you cant eat it as they will beat you to it...

the best method availible and quite cheap and easy to move maintain crops is the use of blue plastic piping that they use for plumbing new connections on building sites approx 25mm

you cut the tubing approx 2.5 meter lenght bend the tubing and push into the ground so you have a semi circle shape use approx 4 - 5 tubes allong the plot and cover with netting 2meters wide... by the width of your plot it is an old photos but it gives you an idea how to set it up. you can buy a roll of the tubing approx £15-20... at .. wilkes diy .. enough to do all your brasicas. and you can move them and sore them for next year..

[alan639]

Thats brill Pies. I might have a go at building one of those. What size is the base, What length of Pipe and what width of debris netting did you use, sorry to ask so many questions

[Alison]

Most of my main veg beds are 10' by 4' and I cage all the brassica beds against cabbage whites - pigeons aren't much of a problem on our site but wayward chickens can be as the plot opposite don't contain them very well. I use 6 No 4' long (1.2m in modern money) plastic canes, one near each corner and the other 2 in the middle of the long sides. I then use those plastic ball connector things to connect 4' bamboo canes between them all ie 7 No in total. These are then drapped in enviromesh which is pegged to the ground. I lift one side of the mesh every time I want to weed / harvest and lean in from that side. Don't need to be able to walk in at all. I remove the mesh in about November as it can't cope with snow and either use coarser net or this year haven't bothered to cover my sprouts, PSB or kale at all. With the winter cabbages I've taken the frame out and the mesh is lying directly on the veggies now. The piccie is quite old and not very good but I couldn't find another quickly, I think this one might be all bamboo which didn't work too well as the canes tended to snap at soil level and the plastic ones were much better.

[Chef_uk]

Built it up yesterday. Really happy with it. I''m still looking in to adding the extension legs to one side. The cage itself is actually quite light with just one hand needed to tilt it up so i could just get away with resting it on a wheelbarrow or something whilst i get in to weed. If i do find something that works as an extension i'll post it up

[lottie dolly]

the size all depends on how much you grow,the other year we build a very big one,it was great,but it does take some moving come rotation time,we also made some just for the cabbage,cauliflowers ,the debri netting was cut in half wrapped around the out side tucked in under the bottom edges,on the top outside edge put a nail or screw,every aprox 18in,so you can have a separate top netting all you have to do is lift it of the nails and climb over,now i have short legs and manage it just fine,a lot better for weeding and harvesting,plus you can see closer as to how they are doing,so much easier to move around the lottie,last year i made 1 cage thuse,4ft canes with scrounged beer cans atop,cover with the netting,

[Peas'n'Kews]

The OH inserted 6ft posts in meta-post holders at the corners of our raised bed and surrounding path and then ordered enough net to cover - set up a "door" so we could get in to weed etc.

Guess it worked OK, but found that we had many more slugs than usual because the blackbirds couldn't get in to eat 'em.

Also found we were forever rescuing daft butterflies and bees that came through with us (despite best efforts).

So..... not 100% convinced of the effectiveness of the brassica cage and will try without this year.

[Bigmallly]

Mine are made from a 2"x"2 base frame, tubing fastened to the frame 3' high 4' wide 8' long. My beds are 25' long x 4'2" so 3 fits perfectly. They are easy to move from bed to bed and just prop open with a piece of wood to access plants.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i used to have a 3m x 3m gazebo until someone lost the cover .... now i just have the frame ... i'll be using that this year to cover my 8ft x 8ft brassicas bed, using fine netting instead of the gazebo cover .... i won't go the full height of the gazebo, only half height, which is probably about 4ft ....

i'm getting an old tent frame from the local scout group too .... the cover has rotted and there are a couple of missing poles, but it will be enough to set up "fruit cages" over the soft fruits this year ....

[ladylottie]

Mine are made from a 2"x"2 base frame, tubing fastened to the frame 3' high 4' wide 8' long. My beds are 25' long x 4'2" so 3 fits perfectly. They are easy to move from bed to bed and just prop open with a piece of wood to access plants.

This looks ideal (and how neat and tidy is your plot) not too high and easy to move around. I might have to have a go at this later on.