Make sure your cage is big enough to stop pigeons getting their heads in too, and reaching foliage A fine mesh is what you need to stop the butterflies getting in to lay eggs.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Yes - but it's more a question of having it far enough away from the plants themselves, as that would do the job just now - if you already have chicken wire.
A fine mesh does both jobs though, so it just depends on how you want to proceed.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This is what we (well, my OH ) built this year to keep butterflies and pigeons off my brassicas ... it doesn't have to be this big but we're painters so he made it out of old (warped) painting stretchers that we can't use any more and it's handy 'cos it means we can stand up in it. He stapled on some inexpensive insect netting we bought via t'internet ... that keeps the Cabbage White butterflies and the pigeons off, and is helping the broccoli withstand the wind too. As I said, they don't have to be anything like as big, but you get the general idea.
You can also see the funnny little wire 'cages' he made for the spinach and radicchio to keep the pigeons from getting at them ... they seemed hungrier than usual this year. The butterflies don't bother the spinach and radicchio.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The pigeons sit on the trellis above it and gaze in longingly at the broccoli
I know it looks a bit swish with mitred corners, but it's just cos we happened to have the big frames ... you could knock something smaller together with oddments salvaged from scrap quite easily.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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A fine mesh is what you need to stop the butterflies getting in to lay eggs.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
A fine mesh does both jobs though, so it just depends on how you want to proceed.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You can also see the funnny little wire 'cages' he made for the spinach and radicchio to keep the pigeons from getting at them ... they seemed hungrier than usual this year. The butterflies don't bother the spinach and radicchio.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I know it looks a bit swish with mitred corners, but it's just cos we happened to have the big frames ... you could knock something smaller together with oddments salvaged from scrap quite easily.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
These kalettes were neglected, not staked, just went and picked some and eat it regularly, as did everything else!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.