Fruit cages

[Deleted User]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone has a fruit cage and if so do you have any tips and hints for buying one?

I am looking at quite a large, walk-in one as I have enough space to build one. I don't mind spending a bit more money now on a decent one as long as it lasts me for many years.

I have been battling with netting fruit and it is not a very good option as I grow so much so I thought investing in a cage might be a good idea.

Does anyone have any experience, good or bad with fruit cages?

Thanks.

foxgloves

We don't have a fruit cage, but we saw one yesterday at a garden centre when we were choosing brassica netting. It wasn't a rigid metal cage, but was a frame (maybe about the size of a small greenhouse?) made from netting over a framework of poles. It was tall enough to be able to walk into it & stand up straight. We thought it'd be useful for our brassicas as we're getting a bit fed-up of crawling under the netting when they need any maintenance, but in the end, our newly-found tightwad nature got the better of us & we bought just 6 m of netting which we, again, put over our winter cabbages using broken recycled canes & old yoghurt pots! The netting cage-thing did look good though.

[Deleted User]

foxgloves wrote: »

We don't have a fruit cage, but we saw one yesterday at a garden centre when we were choosing brassica netting. It wasn't a rigid metal cage, but was a frame (maybe about the size of a small greenhouse?) made from netting over a framework of poles. It was tall enough to be able to walk into it & stand up straight. We thought it'd be useful for our brassicas as we're getting a bit fed-up of crawling under the netting when they need any maintenance, but in the end, our newly-found tightwad nature got the better of us & we bought just 6 m of netting which we, again, put over our winter cabbages using broken recycled canes & old yoghurt pots! The netting cage-thing did look good though.

That is the sort of thing I am thinking of, but it would have to be metal to put up with the strong winds where I live.

I also do the netting, canes and flowerpots or the bottoms of milk cartons on my brasiccas. However spiky fruits plants and netting just don't work well together. I have ruined so much netting wrestling with the thorns of fruit plants. I have eating and cooking gooseberries, tayberries, loganberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries which all need netting from the birds.

[Deleted User]

I used to have a big walk in one with a door. I can`t remember who from but possibly

http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsSite/category/FRUITCAG.htm

The only downside was knocking the snow off in winter. It was absolutely marvellous and also great for keeping hens when I had raspberries and gooseberries in there

matt987106

Scaffold poles will be your best bet

look for the keyclamp stuff, it will outlast you

A._Badger

I have quite a large one that I installed when I moved into my current house. But I asked around beforehand, and it worked out cheaper to have two local lads build me one out of chestnut poles and plastic mesh, which I bought direct from a manufacturer, as opposed to buying one of the (frighteningly expensive, I thought) metal ones that Harrods Horticulture and Two Wests sell).

It might be worth asking around t see if anyone local could do this sort of thing for you.

[Deleted User]

Helloi,

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for all your ideas. I am a bit worried about the snow over winter so I am going to sort something out where I can remove the netting before the snows come and peg it back out in the spring.

I really like the idea of using scaffolding and building something ourselves is also an option.

Thanks again.
Spider

splodger_seedswapper

i use an old aviary as a fruit cage - and it was free :T and as it was made to keep birds in it is perfect at keeping birds out

re above comments about snow etc - it is always good practice to remove the top netting from the fruit cage anyway - as the birds can get in and clean up over the winter months (eating nasty bugs etc)

naturally snow damage is also a concern - especially with the less robust frames on the market

using scaffold poles might work out quite expensive - although i think trying to make something yourself would be much more rewarding than just buying one - greenhouse frames make great frames for small fruit cages

angelavdavis

Mine is built out of an old gazebo which we loaned to a 'friend' who returned it minus a couple of corner pieces (which we discovered two years later when it rained at a bbq we were hosting!)

It was sitting in the shed and then I read an item on the allotment forum and thought "what a great idea".

Helped clear out my side lean to as well. I just bought the netting for it and used wire to attach it. I am just about to buy some of these for this year. It is easily put together and stored in the shed.

I made a bbq cover with the tarpaulin too.

[Deleted User]

angelavdavis wrote: »

Mine is built out of an old gazebo which we loaned to a 'friend' who returned it minus a couple of corner pieces (which we discovered two years later when it rained at a bbq we were hosting!)

It was sitting in the shed and then I read an item on the allotment forum and thought "what a great idea".

Helped clear out my side lean to as well. I just bought the netting for it and used wire to attach it. I am just about to buy some of these for this year. It is easily put together and stored in the shed.

I made a bbq cover with the tarpaulin too.

Hello,

Thanks for the idea. I am thinking of something along similar lines.

I have found a few cheap metal archways which I could use to make a frame and then net over. It gets very windy near me (once sheared the metal frame of a greenhouse - I went to work owning a greenhouse and came home having lost it all and everything in it) so a gazebo would not be strong enough unfortunately.

I really need to get this sorted as we are trying to grow most of our fruit and veg and trying to net each plant is just not working.

Instead of using the clips you mentioned I am thinking of sewing some webbing on the edges of the netting and then putting rivet holes in the webbing to lace the netting together (the same techinque used to connect marquee pieces). I already have enough webbing, rivets and lacing etc just need to see if my machine will sew the netting and webbing properly. I also have some spare tent pegs thingys so I could then peg the netting down on the ground too. If I can sew the netting I might even be able to sew in a zip to make a door (similar to zips in tents). Just ideas at the moment, but this would be a stronger construction and hopefully wind proof too.