John Vanini wrote:
Hi Davy,



I'm not sure whether you already have a raised bed and you want to know how
to put netting over it or whether you wanted to know how to make a raised
bed and then put netting over it - if you see what I mean (LOL)!!!!!



Anyway, if it's any help, I built a raised bed on my allotment (24ft x 4ft
or roughly 7.3m x 1.2m) last year and planted strawberries in it. I, then,
realised that I needed to cover them with netting.



I found a wide fleece tunnel (double width - covers two rows) which had
perished so removed the wire half-hoops and threw the fleece away.



I, next, cut short lengths of bamboo (roughly about 9" or 23cms in length)
and pushed these into the ground along each of the 24ft sides (at about 5ft
spacing - so I used 5 half-hoops, in all).



I fitted each ends of each wire half-hoop into hole in two of the bamboos so
that the wire straddled the bed. With five wire supports now spanning the
bed, I draped the netting (2 metres wide) over the completed "frame".



Next, I hammered galvanised felt nails (roofing nails) around the top edge
of the frame - but only deep enough to stop them being pulled out easily so
the heads were left proud.



I was then able to hook the netting over the wide heads of the nails, across
the bed, to secure it in place. The netting was then tightened merely by
stretching it a bit further over the nail heads until it was as taut as I
wanted.



To get at the strawberries was easy as all I had to do was un-hook the
netting where I needed and replace it as before after picking them.



The height of the netting over the crops can be easily adjusted by fitting
longer bamboo supports leaving the wire half-hoops unchanged. It's just the
width of the netting that limits the height.



I intend to use this in the coming year for other crops on the other raised
beds on my allotment as it's such a simple idea and worked beautifully..



This may not be what you wanted but I hope it helps.



Regards,



John


"Davy" wrote in message
...
The pigeons have eaten most of my french bean seedlings in may raised
vegetable bed. Anyone know a neat and easily removable way of putting
netting just a few inches above soil on a raised bed?
thanks, Davy




Perhaps not just a few inches, but simple to make and easy to move. I
use plastic electric wire conduit and blue water piping. Cut 2 lengths
of conduit to suit, insert into a length of piping to suit, push the
free end of each pipe into the edge of the bed, repeat once, or more,
depending on the length of the bed. You now have hoops across your bed
over which can be laid the netting. If you have a fine net it will even
keep the cabbage butterflies off. A cost effective and long lasting
solution I find, especially if you lash out for good quality netting,
not the plastic stuff.