My sprouts are under attack!

I use butterfly netting from two wests & elliot. They also do complete fruit and veg cages for a reasonable price. An occasional butterfly manages to get through but, touch wood, no eggs or catties yet.

 

I have some of those, but I find them a bit awkward to use. Last time I bought some of the new (?) push-in corners. Possibly a bit better fit, I think, although maybe the netting slides over the ball whatsits better.

I've mulled over the enviromesh, but been a bit unnerved by the price. Do you recommend it Freddy?

 

Hi Manteur. I find Enviromesh to be very effective. The one thing that one has to be careful about, is to make sure there are NO gaps around the sides. The one big drawback is, as others have said, is the cost. For each raised bed (8ftx4ft) it cost around £15. In the 'blurb' they say it lasts for 7 years, which if true, makes it a reasonable cost to bare (I think). However, that stuff Kristen uses seems ok too. The only thing that puts me off that stuff though, is that I get the impression (at least) that it MIGHT exclude some light. For many that wouldn't be to much of an issue, but my garden is very narrow, and has a 6ft fence to on side which in itself means that light levels aren't great. Hope this helps.
Cheers...freddy.

 

Thanks Freddy, I reckon I'll give it a go.

 

"The only thing that puts me off that stuff though, is that I get the impression (at least) that it MIGHT exclude some light."

I was worried about that too. On advice from others I went ahead, and the plants are the best I have had - Brussels are really tall (not because they are leggy though :thumb so I reckon there is no need to worry about light-loss.

There again, some people recommend using debris netting to shade greenhouse ... go figure!

 

"I was worried about that too. On advice from others I went ahead, and the plants are the best I have had - Brussels are really tall (not because they are leggy though ) so I reckon there is no need to worry about light-loss."

Hi Kristen, like I said, I have problems with light as it is, so I reckon if you are growing out in the open there'll be no problems.
Cheers...freddy.

 

Yes, I can see you are right to be uncertain; and mine are indeed out in the open. But everything under the net is so healthy its hard to think that they could actually utilise any more light.

You'll just have to try it and let us all know how it goes ... however, I can tell you one thing for free. Any plants that the Cabbage White caterpillar eats will be nothing like as big as the ones under a net :thumb:

 

I reckon that enviromesh has been one of the best gardening investments I've made. Since I started using it three years ago I've had next to no insect damage. It even keeps out greenfly and I think it probably helps keep the plants a bit warmer early in the season by keeping the chill wind off.
Photo below taken about a week ago with the mesh rolled back shows red cabbage almost 4 feet across and sprouts now approaching three feet.
Supports are made from thick fence wire in old hose pipe supported by hollow metal plastic coated 'canes' from B&Q which I cut in half. You can just see in bottom right the perforated plastic sheet covering the soil and keeping the weeds down.

 

You must have more lithe/smart butterflies than I do here!

I've been using the same mesh for 4 years (it's actually 8mm approximate on the square, giving about an 11mm diagonal when perfectly arranged - which it never is of course) and it stops them. You do have to careful about gaps because teh little blighters will just flap away for infinite periods trynig to get in but I have NEVER seen one pass through the mesh. I'm not saying they can't, just that I have never seen it, have only seen a few get in and I found gaps when they have, and I have not suffered from significant CWB damage since I have used it.

 

Well, I've just ordered a small piece of enviromesh to try out as I saw a cabbage white size up my netting and squeeze through! I hope it comes for the weekend as I want to plant out my caulis and cabbages.
Liz