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23 Jan 17 (Australia - temperate climate)

I plant all caterpillar eating veggies ie kale, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, in the one large bed and net it while they are still seedlings. No white butterflies can get to them.

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20 Mar 17 Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

Over the last few years I have the problem of sparrows eating off all my new seedlings planted out in early Autumn. Planted out Honi Tsai Tai, rocket, snow peas, lettuce, beetroot, green and red cabbage the other week. I have a shade cloth over to reduce the heat this time of the year but it couldn't cover all the plants. The birds went to town eating them. I went on the internet and found anti bird netting. 10x 5m $25. about 15mm mesh. This will not only keep the birds out but also cabbage moths etc. Maybe even bean fly (might double the mesh over. I also found Chinese Hong Kong people who sell it very cheap 3x 6 or 10m for less than $3. 2-3 weeks postage. I will be able to grow broccoli again now and also start earlier and finish later with my veggie growing. All you need is some PVC pipe, some pieces of wood / metal pipe about 20" long, the netting and some stakes or something to lay on the netting on the ground to stop birds etc getting in.

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27 Jun 17 Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

Further to my comments above. The cheap Chinese netting was useless. The $25 (10m x 5m) netting not the best either. I have found this on the internet - 10m x 6.5m White Cross Weave Hail Net / Bird Netting $80. It is rows of knitted cotton with a V shape running between the rows. Expensive but it will keep just about everything out. Birds, moths and probably flies and bees. The framework for the netting above was a lot of work to move to do any work in the garden. I have constructed 2 frames with 20mm conduit pipe - 2m x 2m x1m high. Had to buy the 3 way elbows on the internet to join it all together. A place that sells hot house/shade house stuff. They are a little flimsy but with two people are very easy to move around. I intend to also put some 50% shade cloth over them early and late in the year to extend my growing seasons. Hope this helps other people considering this.

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