Fruit Cage materials ?

Hi,

Need to diy build a fruit cage against the length of the garage wall which needs to be about 2.4m wide by 5m long and say 2.4m high for the Raspberrries.

Any recommendations as to what to use for the frame, timber or some form of metal rods/tubes, though some can be quiet expensive ?

 

Kind of depends what you are covering it with, and how you want it to look.

Maybe some chestnut poles if you want a rustic look, for something more formal maybe some treated 2x2 but it wont last long in the ground.

Not sure what metal is available.

 

We made one using ordnary 4"/10cm fence post uprights held in place with metal Metposts but you could use quick setting cement. We then fixed 2 x 4 along the tops to hold the netting. To save money you could use 3" posts.

Use a stapler or more wood to pin and hold the netting in place and make sure it's stretched taut and not sagging so birds don't get their feet stuck in it. Don't forget to leave a flap for entry and exit or you could make a door from a simple frame covered with net.

 

Treat it as a temporary structure. Only needs to be up while fruit ripen. Would look to use bamboo canes and plastic cable ties.Such as these:.
Bamboo Canes | 2.4m | 14-16mm | 50 Pack | Suregreen Ltd
Personally use scaffold debris netting for all uses:
ECONOMY 50gsm GREEN - 2m x 20m
Either an elongated tent if raspberries are in a row or a larger rectangular box shape. Attach to wall and hold down bottom of netting with horizontal canes and sand filled poly bags.

 

Ours had raspberries and strawberries but also an apple and a pear so it was important to keep the birds off the flowers as well as the fruits and I wanted it to be sturdy and look good but unobtrusive.

If yours is to be temporary, you can buy polythene tubing (for water pipes) and hold that in place with metal or woodedn dowels in the ground then drape the nets over. That's how we keep birds and butterflies off our broccoli and cabbages.

 

I’ve found that this company sells “knitted” netting which is very stretchy and can be “moulded” into all sorts of odd shapes. I use it on my blueberry bushes. As to keeping it up, I just use tree stakes at intervals and a long bit of plastic pipe across the top.

The company is very good. I put the order in one afternoon and got the netting the next morning. I have no affiliation to the company.

Anti Bird Netting for Fruit & Vegetable Protection

 

I use the same netting as Tidemark suggests and it's been out in the elements for 5+ years now but still looks new. I like it because it let's the pollinators in and I don't have to keep removing it. Ours is the old time allotment make do and mend construction but it's getting rebuilt this year with our coppice hazel, for a rustic chic look.
There are lots of metal pole constructed cages popping up down the allotment over the last few years so either people are throwing a lot of money at them or somewhere is selling them cheap.

 

Thanks all, you have give us somethings to think about there, permament or temporary etc

Never really had any problems with the fruit and veg being eaten for many years, but this time they are going for any fruit that shows a hint of red including the beetroot leaves etc.

Had seen this netting (elixir) and these metal tubes on ebay that would look decent and easy to disassemble if we used it just in summer.

 

We sell loads of these plastic ribbed coated metal tube, in lengths from 60cm to 3m in diameters of 11mm, 15mm and 20mm. Then you get these clips etc etc to make your cage as small or big as you like. Very similar as building one with bamboo canes