Crop Cage Guide

Advice on Which Fruit Cage is Best For You

Many of you will know the frustration of spending months growing your own fruit and vegetables, only to have your crop stolen at the last minute by birds and other pests. Hours and hours of planning, preparation and involvement lost, not to mention bucket-loads of tasty, home grown strawberries, blackberries and cabbages! There are many methods gardeners use to prevent this happening, from hanging CDs around the crops (birds don’t like the flashing lights) to putting stuffed owls in trees. Unfortunately, these aren't much of a deterrent for slugs and carrot fly, and birds quickly get used to such distractions. The best solution is a good quality Fruit Cage, which will provide years of protection for your crops. Have a look at our guide below to help you select the right fruit & vegetable cage for your needs.

Which pests eat which crops?
a) Strawberries – slugs and all types of common garden birds, e.g. blackbirds
b) Brassicas (cabbages, brussels sprouts, turnips, broccoli) – pigeons, Cabbage Whites, slugs
c) Carrots, celery, parsnips – carrot fly
d) Young seedlings, especially beans and peas – birds
e) Raspberries, gooseberries, cherries and other soft fruit – all common garden birds
f) Fruit cages are also great if you keep chickens and other poultry, as they prevent them making messy dry patches around your crops.

What are the different types of Fruit Cage?
Standard Fruit Cages – these tend to be for the domestic market, and are usually made in pre-determined sizes. Lightweight and flexible, they offer convenience and a good standard of crop protection.
Walk-in Fruit Cages – are often larger than standard fruit cages and are usually made with heavy duty metal or timber frames. As they are designed to be permanent or semi-permanent features in your garden, they often require a greater amount of time and planning to put up. They can look very attractive and offer a sizeable growing area for your crops, allowing you to work on your plants from inside the structure. However, their size makes them a less flexible option – something worth bearing in mind if you are planning to expand your growing area or allotment over time.
Build Your Own Cages – good DIY cages offer the flexibility of building your own cage with stronger and more durable materials than the old-fashioned method of tying canes together with bits of string. These cages are best suited to keen gardeners looking to expand or modify their growing areas over time, so look for cage systems that can be easily extended.
Pop-up Cages – extremely lightweight and flexible, pop-up cages are also the quickest to assemble and the easiest to build, requiring almost no effort or DIY knowledge. They are also great for small gardens as they are easy to fold away and store when not in use.

What size of Fruit Cage is best for me?
The width and length of your ideal Fruit Cage really depends on how much fruit and veg you want to grow, but height definitely matters!
Low Fruit Cages (0.5m-0.75m high) – ideal for strawberries, carrots, salad crops and new plantings.
Medium Fruit Cages (1m-1.25m high) – best for brassicas, gooseberries, blueberries and other medium sized fruit plants.
High Fruit Cages (1.5m-1.75m high) – use for raspberries and other tall fruit plants.

What type of netting do I need?
You might need a number of different types if you grow a range of crops, but netting is usually available in pre-cut sizes, or can be cut to your specification. The common types are:
Anti-Bird Netting – usually with 20mm holes.
Anti-Butterfly Netting – approximately 7mm holes.
Anti-Insect Netting – 2mm holes.
Ultra-Fine Netting – to protect against carrot fly.
Wire mesh - such as galvanised chicken wire, or specially designed barrier systems, can also be used to help keep out rabbits.

What should I look for in a good quality Fruit Cage?
a) Strong rot proof frames and joints.
b) Robust, UV stable netting - preferably knitted rather than moulded (which is tough and hard to handle) with enough length or give to pin at the bottom.
c) A good level of stability and anchorage for tall and walk-in cages.
d) High quality stitching of material to frame to ensure longevity.

Any other important advice for fruit & vegetable gardens?
Plan ahead – if you want to expand your plot over time it might be best to buy a self-assembly kit with readily available extending components. Alternatively, if you have patches dotted around your garden a set of easily portable pop-up cages could be a better option.
Soft fruit is a permanent crop – make sure you start with a clear, weed-free site to give your plants the best possible start.
Rotate your crops regularly – this is not only good for your soil, it also limits the number of pests in a given area and gives your plants an even greater chance of success