The strawberries are red and some folks are already eating them. You may or may not have covered your strawbs to protect them from the birds. I absolutely have to, or else between the slugs, snails and birds I would not have any for myself. Ok then, so I have to net my strawbs. I do so every year as soon as I see a pinkish flush on the first strawberry. I don't even deliberate on it anymore...it's just a fact of life here. Where am I going with this? Well, we have established that I have to cover my strawbs with a net and there are many ways to do that, but one aspect is always a bit of a problem--how to secure the bottoms of the net so that birds will not creep under and get into the covering and eat to their heart's content. For years, I used a less than optimal combination bricks, paving tiles and long beams and poles to hold down the net edges. This worked good enough, but the nets always hung up on wood splinters or sharp bits of stone on the bricks and tiles. It was always such a lot of work un-doing the nets and then re-doing them after the picking. A solution had to be found. The solution didn't come directly. One year there was a gap on the side of one of the nets and I did not have anything to hold it down with. I remembered a rusty tent peg that I had found a while earlier, so I pressed that into the ground and and the lip catches on the hole in the net. It worked fine...the only thing was, that I didn't have any more. The tentpegs that I had bought were in use to hold down the branches of the plum trees to train them. I thought yes, why not tent pegs! Well, the reason why not, was a matter of cost. They are expensive new here. I had to keep thinking and looking. What I came up with was very stiff wire--the type that one threads through the top of a chickenwire fence to keep it straight. Here are a couple of piccies to show what I am talking about: --I bought a length of 2,5mm rolled wire (7 meters long) for a couple of euro's. --I cut them into about 25cm (almost 10inch) lengths. --Then I bent them through the middle to make an "elbowshaped pinnike", as I call them (pronounced, "pin-ih-kas"). You can see the bent wire "pinnikes" held together with a black binding strip in the first picture. How to use them? --I use these in the enviromash as well as nets with larger holes. -- I attach the net at first one end, then the other. --Then I secure the sides by rolling the excess netting and applying the pinnike thusly: One leg through a hole in the net and the other leg outside the net in the path. I then press it into the ground, making a snug seal. One can use as many pinnikes as they feel necessary. I use one per meter, generally speaking. Obviously, the more you use the more secure it is. See the foto below: This method is inexpensive and works well for me, as I no longer waste so much time opening and re-closing the nets...annnnnd I do not stub my toe on the blocks or poles. It because of this method that I have the following: A nice biiig one: Do you see that coil of thin wire (looking sort of like a mini-slinky? Well, that can be stretched straight and cut in short lengths to secure things with...waste not, want not as they say.
Hmmm...very interesting Sjoerd. This is my first year with Strawberries and I am picking a lot, but I've noticed lots with holes. I was assuming that it was slugs, but it is entirely possible that it is the birds! I would love to see how you hold the mesh up...are there hoops?
Hiyah Netty-- Bird pecking holes look differently that slug holes...but I don't know how to explain it exacttl. The slug holes seem to have round and smoothe edges while the bird peck holes have ragged ones and you can sometimes see little triangular notches which are made by the form of their beaks. Anyway, if it is birds, then a net will definately protect your precious harvest. Here is how I support the netting: Depending upon the bed, I use hoops made of hollow plastic electrical cable tubing. On other beds, I use at leat four poles with sturdy twine spanned between them. I then throw the netting over this and secure the bottoms. If the beds are exceedingly wide and/or long...I also place poles or hoops in the center of the bed to give central support, as the crows and jackdaws will sit on the net and weight it down otherwise. They are clever beasts, those birds. I hope that this is clear to you. If not let me know and I will try harder to be clear in my explanation.
Those are some nice looking strawberries. Another good detailed posting. Is that corn next to the strawberries?
I cut the netting kind of large and lightly draped it right over the plants without anything holding it up. It has worked fine. It's very light, doesn't even weight the leaves down. I hold it down with plastic pegs that were reasonably priced. Nothing has gotten my berries! I also wrapped the netting around a hanging strawb that I have.
GAIL-- That is corn in the first foto showing the netting, but those are not strawberries...They are yellow lupine(green manure, enclosed to keep the birds from eating them)--if we are looking at the same piccy. That sounds like a success story, DAISY. BTW--what sort of netting did you use and cut-up? Well, it seems like all is well protected there in MARY'sland.
Sjoerd, the netting looks similar to what you show in your first picture except mine may has smaller holes. It comes in different sizes. It's easy to cut. I guess it's about 5 feet wide, comes on a roll. How are your white supports (is it PVC piping?) secured in the ground?
Daisy-- I do not know what PVC piping is,but the electrical tubing that I use is plastic and very bendy. My ground is so soft that U just manually just shove it into the ground...but I have also used the technique of first shoving a length of metal or a length of sturdy namboo into the gtound and then slipping the ends of the tubing over that to secure it. I understand how you do your netting now. Having that stuff on a roll is handy alright, miss. Are you still getting enough to eat?
Great post Sjoerd, I love the Do-It-Yourself approach. Prefabbed material is getting way too expensive anymore. Here is what I have used and is popular here to keep netting down. This is parachute cord or ripstop cord that has the inside cords taken out and is filled with lead shot. You can find many sizes and shapes and fill it with anything from small rocks and sand to metal shot. I use this for fishing but it could easily be made in any length for about $0.30 a foot or less depending on the cord cost. It would be a little bit of work to make a rope that was really long but not so bad with course sand.
That looks like a great solution, Fish_4. How long is this length of ripstop cord that you are showing here?
hey Sjoerd, PVC is polyvinyl something or another, piping that is used for plumbing. It comes in different diameters. I'm going to look for this electrical tubing though, it looks even thinner and more flexible. Bendy, as you say. Tonight I saw about 4 or 5 on my hanging plant, but the others are taking a break. I wonder if they will start up again?
Sjord, that is only like 4 inches long, is actually a fishng weight. The cord can be bought here in bulk. I have seen it on spools of 1000 yards.
MISS DAISY--You said, "Tonight I saw about 4 or 5 on my hanging plant, but the others are taking a break. I wonder if they will start up again"? --Chile, what are you going on about? You saw about 4 or 5 WHATs on your hanging plant? "Taking a break"? I must be thick, but I don't understand. I see what you are saying, FISH_4-- I may look into that stuff, who knows what all I can use it for. Thanks for the tip.
I'm sorry Sjoerd, I thought you could read minds... lol! -- I was answering your question re: if I was getting enough strawberries to eat! Four or five strawberries on my hanging basket. The other plants aren't making any berries. I wonder they will start up again, or if they are actually June-bearing and not ever-bearing. Those are the two distinctions in strawberries, right? Phew, I thought I had posted in the wrong thread or something!
Ooooooooh riiiiiight. I could have known that. Glad to hear that you are still getting some from your hanger. Well, even the so-called "everbearing" types of strawbs have down time to recharge their batteries. If they are everbearing they will begin flowering again in a bit, just feed them and keep watering so that they do not dry out if there is no rain there.
