To Fruit Cage or not to Fruit Cage

[bigwellylittlewelly]

We have a large area of our garden set aside for a fruit and vegetable garden.

The fruit section is 3m x 4m, and I have been bought a seasonal selection of raspberry canes and would like to have some blueberry bushes in pots as well, in total 9-12 plants.

I am considering buying this Fruit Cage to stop pests and cats getting onto the crop.

Is this a good plan or bad plan?

Good plan. I loved mine and doubt I'd have had any fruit without it.

Cats will not be interested in your fruit.

Personally I prefer to share my fruit with the birds, and I'd worry about hedgehogs, birds and other wildlife getting trapped in the mesh, so it's a no from me.

I don't think it's a bad plan, but nor do I think it's necessary. Birds have never taken too much of my fruit (though currants are covered. They leave the grapes, gooseberries, strawberries, and plums alone for the most part. And would it hinder pollination and natural pollinators - bees and butterflies etc?

My parents had a large fruit cage when I was growing up - approx 10mx 15m. We never had any problems with wildlife getting caught in the nets (and we had lots of hedgehogs there). We did have problems with kamikase blackbirds that would throw themselves at the net until they managed to find a way in (normally the joins between nets) and they would do a lot of damage - raspberries, gooseberries (desert), currants and strawberries would all be eaten by them.

My cage will only have raspberries and blueberries in it so very much as risk from birds, the cats are just everywhere (urban garden) and I hate them being in the beds. So more about horrible poo than eating the fruits.

I do worry about wildlife so will ask our RSPB staff member about impact and if they say its ok I'll install it.

Thanks for answering