Last year it played host to bush tomatoes (3 plants of "Maskotka") and cocktail cucumbers (3 each of "Iznik F1" and "Melen F1"):
This year I am planning to use it for growing root crops - carrots, parsnips and beetroot.
I am currently contemplating various options for protecting this bed with netting / mesh / fleece in order to minimise damage from insect pests and marauding animals such as foxes and cats. It will probably involve something along these lines:-
I have a number of flexible plastic rods each 1.2 metres long. Simply pushed into the soil close to the edges these will be fine on their own in the early stages, but as the crops underneath them grow I will be able to "raise the roof" by slotting them into some aluminium tubes from my Build-a-Ball set, which are conveniently just the right diameter. Even better, I have several different lengths of aluminium tube, so I should be able to get just the right height. I need to buy some mesh now, and I have my eye on a product called "Enviromesh" which seems to be widely available. Any recommendations for where to buy it, folks?
I have only ever used anti-insect mesh once before, and I found that the crops beneath it didn't do very well. I don't think they got enough light or moisture. Maybe this was because I didn't choose the right grade of mesh? This time I had better be very careful I think. Do any of you have any advice to offer on this matter?
Mmmm no advice but I like your hoops, I think I might be coying that. I'm growing my carrots in tubs outside this year so I will be buying some Enviromesh myself. I have seen it on rolls at garden centres which is the way I shall probably buy it rather than order on-line.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested in any advice you get on this topic as I think I need to invest in some Enviromesh too. I don't have my old bath any more to grow my carrots in so I think I'll need something to cover them with otherwise the carrot root fly will have a field day.
ReplyDeleteWell I use a lot of insect covers, but not enviromesh as it isn't available here. Fleece (remay) is very problematic as a row cover as it doesn't let the rain in well enough and it is very fragile. The woven one that I have (which is Australian made) works much better. I'm guessing it is much like enviromesh. I find that in the spring things grow faster under it as it normalizes some of our cold temperatures. But things take longer in the fall as light becomes the issue. They can keep heat in over the summer, but neither you nor I live in a place where it gets that hot in the summer so shouldn't be a problem. Row covers tend to keep the area more humid. Things like moss and mold have more of a tendency to grow under a cover if it is damp. Don't put something under it that is prone to powdery mildew. But I grow all of my brassicas and carrots under cover because of the insects here. I also grow my spring spinach under cover to keep the leaf miners at bay. Also it makes them grow faster in the spring. I've done experiments in the past and harvest is about a week earlier with a row cover. I use fleece for these as it tends to hold the heat a little better and our springs tend to be wet so the rain not getting all through is not an issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting one of these next week - looking forward to setting it up!
ReplyDeleteMy advice is - read the instructions carefully - and don't get a four-year-old to help you! (I blogged about it of course...)
DeleteShould have said we use enviromesh every year on our carrots and they do very well.
ReplyDeleteWe buy our mesh in Australia so it won't be much help to you I'm afraid :) I really like the last nets we bought- they were called vege nets and they work a treat!
ReplyDeleteHi Mark. i use enviromesh quite a lot to protect my onions,carrots,parsnips and brasicas. I use plastic water pipes for my hoops as I'm quite exposed to East & west winds. The mesh does take a wee bit of securing if you are exposed. Try this garden-naturally
ReplyDeleteHi where do you get the woodblocx from?
ReplyDeleteMy Woodblocx raised bed was given to me by Woodblocx themselves, as a review item, when their business was new. Access their website in the usual way.
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