Gardening tips needed using hoops and netting for plants.

[jo-jo]

DH has grown tomatoes for years using the old sand box he built 40 years ago. 6 x 8 ft. Last couple of years , we've put home depot buckets on top of the garden bed since it's now impossible for DH to get to garden level. The plants are now about 3 ft from ground level, so he can take care of plants while seating on rollator. But we also have had more trouble with animals. I was looking at amazon for saw netting and those fiberglass hoops. Thought hmmmmmm

Anyone use them? Can you connect a bunch to make a loop so it's like 4 -5 ft. high? Pictures on amazon show pictures of low plants like lettuce.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have seen people use pop up plant netting, do you mean this? If you search pop up tomato cage there are options.

 

[Travel60]

I googled "hoops to cover plants" and found some 8' long plastic poles for that purpose. You could stack concrete blocks in a rectangle with the holes facing up, secure the poles in the holes and cover with netting.

 

[amcnj]

What types of animals are causing the issues? Is the plastic netting effective for the ones troubling your garden? Do you need to cover the tops too (if birds are an issue for example)? Are you trying to enclose an entire area, or are only certain buckets affected?

I have seen hoop support kits that appear to be sets of poles and connectors that might allow you to make them as long/tall as you want.

Or would placing some uprights, poles or even tomato cages, in various places create a suitable frame for the netting too? The netting can be attached via twist ties. You can get 4-5 ft fiberglass poles/driveway markers at places like Home Depot.

 

[jo-jo]

What types of animals are causing the issues? Is the plastic netting effective for the ones troubling your garden? Do you need to cover the tops too (if birds are an issue for example)? Are you trying to enclose an entire area, or are only certain buckets affected?

I have seen hoop support kits that appear to be sets of poles and connectors that might allow you to make them as long/tall as you want.

Or would placing some uprights, poles or even tomato cages, in various places create a suitable frame for the netting too? The netting can be attached via twist ties. You can get 4-5 ft fiberglass poles/driveway markers at places like Home Depot.

Not sure which animals are eating, but we have birds, rabbits and squirrels running through yard any given day. On occasion, see ground hog and deer. I do believe birds are stabbing the fruit, not sure who is do the eating. Once it had to be a deer, we woke up and found one of the tomato buckets out of the garden. It was lifted over the 2 ft fence that we have now. But we find tomatoes half eaten both on the vine and on the ground. Almost like, hmm this one wasn't bad, but let's try a few more see if we find one we like better.

If memory serves, the tomato plants grow higher than the tomato cages. The set up we have is garden/sandbox 4 x8 box filled with dirt. It's about a foot deep. A 2 foot (or so) plastic fence, this is not mesh. Not sure if animal can just climb over it. Then a layer of plastic. On top of that, 6-8 home depot buckets. Each of those buckets have a tomato cage in them.

But getting back to your suggestion of the tomato cages supporting the netting., I suppose we could clip them so they grow out instead of up.

DH just loves home grown tomatoes and trying to keep that going for him.

 

[LoveDaisy]

The netting will work for birds but not the other animals you mentioned.

Are the animals eating the plants or the vegetables? If eating veggies which ones? Full size or cherry tomatoes? Knowing that can help to narrow down what is grazing in your garden.

If your fence is about 2 feet it is not stopping anything other than rabbits. Groundhogs will easily climb that. They go over my 5 foot fence with no issues. They have also tunneled into my garden. Deer will just walk over it.

My tomato cages are 6 feet tall. I have put netting over one plant the birds really liked.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree, depends on which animals you are trying to prevent. Most of the time when I see someone use any type of netting, it has to be 2-3' away from the crops to prevent various critters from just pushing forward and eating what they can reach. Things also need to be totally covered if you are trying to prevent birds or animals like deer who can easily jump a 5-6' fence.

Compared to some very elaborate enclosures, might have more success planting crops that don't appeal to your local wildlife. Most animals don't eat herbs or garlic/onions, for example since they don't like the odor.