cloches

[squeaky]

Hi - and Happy New Year to you all.
I am fed up with pigeons eating my cabbages! Last year was not too bad, but this year they have practically scoffed the lot.
What suggestions do you have for cheap cloches or other protection - which hopefully also gives easy access to the plant for weeding, etc., and is easy to store when not in use.
All ideas will be gratefully received.
Thanks,
Squeaky.

[oldjerry]

Plastic netting probably cheapest.

[grahamhobbs]

Get to know a plumber for the blue alkathene plastic mains water pipe, they always skip what they don't use out of a roll they buy. I use this slipped over some short lengths of rebar (again out of the skip, ther's always some left over on a large job) stuck in the ground and then covered in netting (don't buy the cheapest though or do what an old guy I knew did, went home to Scotland and cadged an old fishing net off a local fisherman).

[squeaky]

Many thanks for the replies. Hopefully next year I will eat more of my cabbages than the pigeons eat!

[becks77]

We got a whole load of blue tubing off Freecycle and chucked a load of old net curtains over, kept the butterflies and caterpillars at bay mostly too!

[Spuddle]

I've tried all sorts of ways to protect brassicas and have decided not to grow them this year. It's not to difficult to keep the pigeons off by using netting or fleece but NOTHING seems to keep those darned butterflies out. They creep in through the tiniest gap and you only have to miss one and before you know it you have thousands of caterpillars and shredded greens.
Actually, I might try growing them in the greenhouse this year. Has anyone tried this?