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whats difference between polytunnel & fruit cage ?
dave s
Posts: 6
in Fruit & veg
i need to cover fruit bushes eg raspberrys and some veg as birds steal everything, what should i choose and why between a polytunnel and a fruit cage??? how do i choose between those 2 products?
size ill need is around 2 meters high and about 10 metres long by about 4metres wide
what brands/companies have you used and would recommend and what cost would it be for my size needs? thanks
0
Posts
A polytunnel is something quite different. It is a permanent structure. A frame covered with poythene or similar in which you grow various crops.
As above. You only need a fruit cage up during ripening. For veg, you might not need one so tall. Friends just drape fine mesh over veg, I have a 30cm high cage for carrots etc.
We bought a poly tunnel that was cheap and it had a polytheme cover on it. Through the winter we put in things to overwinter. in the summer we bought a long piece of netting to replace the polythene. It is easy to move the frame if you just stick the ends in the soil. It does get rusty though
i tried drapping netting over plants before but that just squashes plants and breaks them, i know i need to give the fruit bushes room to still grow so wont do the drapping netting on them again, yes i dont want to hurt birds ! ok so fruit cage is probably more like what im after.
can u give a link to blue water pipe hoops you mean please welshonion ? i may just buy one ready made as im time poor but if its not too hard to build one and much cheaper than buying 1 then maybe id build my own
ok thanks welshonion : )
When this subject arises I always ask people to consider the chances of ensnaring birds in the nets of fruit cages.
I did this several years ago, trapping and killing a beautiful male blackbird. Shortly afterwards they were dismantled, never to be used again......and to be honest, I've found there to be ample soft fruit for both of us.
i spend around £800 a year on bird food, i do not want to kill any but i also am fed up with birds eating all my fruit so if it does cost the life of a very common bird i will be sorry but thats life .