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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Any advice on netting strawberries?

14 replies

jenni75 · 20/05/2011 07:14

Hi, was wondering if anyone had any advice on netting strawberries properly.
I have a 8ft by 1 metre area to do. I have got myself in a tangle with the netting before today, can anyone offer any advice on how to do this properly, i have thought about constructing some arch shaped structure and putting netting over it.

OP posts:
ZimboMum · 20/05/2011 07:26

That would work! Putting the net over the frame will be at least a two person job! The stuff is a nightmare though once we invested in a staple gun and stapled the stuff to the frames it doesn't get so tangled iyswim. At our allotment we don't seem to suffer so much from birds - but slugs are right little feckers that seem to get under all the nets no matter what we do to stop them!

Original poster
jenni75 · 20/05/2011 07:38

Hi ZimboMum, yes i too have slugs :(
I might put a lager trap down as don't want to use pellets.

OP posts:
GnomeDePlume · 22/05/2011 15:54

I have just built myself some fruit cages. I bought the alluminium poles from www.aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk/Aluminium-Round_Tube/c120_131/p17810/Aluminium_Round_Tube_(6063T6)_1/2_in_x_18_swg/product_info.html

To make the joints I used flexaballs/buildaballs to make the joints.

The netting was pond/crop netting from Wilkinsons. This was more rigid than the fruit netting and much easier to handle for one person.

I attached the net using the wire tie stuff also from Wilkinsons.

Grumpla · 22/05/2011 22:25

I made some really crap fruit cages using the poles from two of those mini greenhouse things. Tied netting on with twine, although if I could have found my mini cable ties as planned I would have use those!

Much easier to lift the whole thing off for weeding (and later I hope picking!) than pegged nets. It did take a lot of swearing to get the netting on the frame, definitely a two person job if you can rope someone in to help you!

GnomeDePlume · 24/05/2011 22:12

Well, I went up to the allotment today and one fruit cage stood firm in the wind and the other is looking a bit sad. Back up tomorrow with DH to sort it out.

catinthehat2 · 24/05/2011 22:25

cages add considerably to the cost of the strawbs

8ft by 1 metre deserves probably about 8, maybe 10 waist/armpit high canes.

roll some stiff netting over it maybe .75cm square and weigh down with stones. use old shotgun cartridges or similar to stop slippage over the canes

in a month or 2 the strawbs are over, roll back & store for next year

I keep seeing these all the gear & no idea frames which last about 2 seasons before they fall to bits - or the permanent walkin frames (which provide a ladder for bindweed). By the time you've added in the cost, might as well buy strawbs from M&S in January

queenbathsheba · 24/05/2011 22:33

I have built a couple a raised beds. I have stapled fine netting to some wooden trellis. I've laid the trellis over the top of the raised bed so all I have to do is fold in back. Next year I'll probably get some more sturdy trellis and some hinges so I can just lift it up. It was cheaper than buying a fruit cage.

I'm wondering now if I should wrap them up for winter, I've never tried but someone said to wrap straw around them, does anyone know?

catinthehat2 · 24/05/2011 22:43

strawberries are HAAAAARD

they were bred out of alpine strawbs - ie halfway up a ski slope!

seem to cope with a nice layer of British snow, no problems.

queenbathsheba · 24/05/2011 22:46

thank you Catinthehat2 I didn't wrap them up last year and most survived although many of the leaves went black and horrid. Some died off, so you don't think it's worth wrapping straw round them.
Can't wait to eat strawberries, they taste better than shop bought.

catinthehat2 · 24/05/2011 22:49

if you look, they will have 3 or four baby plants coming out anyway on a sucker.

just snip off & use those to fill your plot if there are any gaps

pah! to black leaves, they die back & go berserk in spring anyway

GnomeDePlume · 25/05/2011 12:52

I had my first strawberries yesterday - delicious!

Original poster
jenni75 · 25/05/2011 13:04

Hi, saw this article and thought i'd share it with you all westsidegardener.com/howto/cloche.html

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 25/05/2011 13:08

ours are in a border, and DH put stakes in the ground, which he tied the netting to, then used those cable clips to tie the netting to the fence above.

It does not stop slugs, cos there are now gaps where the wind pulled it apart in the winter, and now the chickens trample under and around it.

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