Ariadne

I have been on a bit of a journey with my nets lately.  I'm experimenting with rubble netting, which you can buy very inexpensively from ebay or builder's yards.  It doesn't significantly cut out the light, but the mesh is small enough to prevent ingress by small insects and slugs.  It will also prevent the sycamore seedlings from falling into the earth. 

For plants that need pollination by insects you need to take the net off when the plants begin to flower, or replace with bird netting.  I intend to replace with bird netting, as knowing my luck the minute I expose my precious plants they will be devoured by all the wildlife in the vicinity. 

I bought two metre wide netting, but discovered the hard way it wasn't wide enough for the hoops of plastic tubing I have created.  I love the effect these hoops give of gentle undulation across my plot.  My Dad tells me it was a method first introduced by the late great Geoff Hamilton, bless his heart.  Eventually I plan to create my own hoops out of willow, but that is for another post. 

I fought with the net and pinned it down against its will, only to find the tension created little arch shaped gaps of the perfect size for rabbits to hop through.  I weighed the sides down with compost, but knew I had to buy wider net long term for the plants that need a good height undercover. 

I now have 3 metre wide netting, which is the perfect width, leaving enough net at the sides to form a barrier.  I have experimented by weighing the sides down with pine chippings.  I don't know if this will encourage mice to borrow in, and then burrow further under the net.  Time will tell. 

The pine chippings have a smell which will cover up the smell of tasty vegetables, so I'm hoping they will act as a deterant.  Apparantly deer are repelled by the essential oils in plants like lavender, so perhaps the pine oil will do the same thing.  I realized when I applied the chippings how well they would work as coverings for the pathways, so that will be my next job.

I spent a happy morning planting out my broad beans, secure in the knowledge that they would be well protected.  I have already placed stakes next to each plant, so they can be tied for support when they get tall enough.