Birds love ripe strawberries, and who could blame them. Imagine a bird just flying along and spotting, below, a dessert bar—a long matted row of sweet, juicy berries. Why not stop for a bite! Well, you planted strawberries for your family, and everyone is waiting for them to ripen, that's why not. Netting protects this strawberry garden from hungry birds. The netting is suspended on PVC hoops to keep it off tender fruit, and it is secured to the ground with logs. A wooden frame added to this raised bed holds the bird netting up and off the strawberry plants below. It also does double duty to keep out rabbits. What's a gardener to do? Our standard off-the-shelf cages are available in 0.25m increments up to a maximum size of 9m x 9m.

Netting – Minimum of 6′ by 40′ roll. We found the best value in a 7’ by 100’ roll for future gardening projectsWater new plants frequently while they are establishing, and water all plants during dry periods through the growing season. When growing plants through biodegradable membrane, consider installinga seep hose underneath as rainwater penetration may be reduced. Please note, a signature will be required upon delivery unless we have authorisation from you that the goods can be left without signature in a secure location. RETURN INFORMATION The twine is wound on to 300 or 400 spools on the net making machine. The net is made by knotting the twine from adjacent spools one row at a time i.e. 300 or 400 knots per row. The knot we use is called a single English knot. Knowle Nets was started in 1965 at Knowle Farm Bridport Dorset - the home of net making since the 9th century. Cold-stored runners are available from late spring to early summer – these specially prepared runners will fruit 60 days after planting

My point is this – the tutorial below includes measurements for covering 2 strawberry grow bags. BUT this method should work for strawberry plants plants in row with a modification in measurements. Next year I might spray paint the PVC a nice color to blend in with the house and garden. Probably a dark green color. When to Erect a DIY Strawberry Plant Cage Strawberries ripen outdoors from early summer to early autumn, depending on the variety. Make sure they are well protected from birds and squirrels. In this post, we share asimple, inexpensive DIY strawberry plant cage using PVC pipe and bird netting. We designed and installed it in about 20 minutes (but I didn’t time it….)remove the first flush of flowers on perpetual strawberry plants, so they concentrate on getting established

Undoubtedly the most effective way to protect strawberries from birds is to drape the strawberry patch with bird netting, an inexpensive plastic mesh with ¼-inch holes. Supported on a frame like a floating row cover, or held above the plants by stakes topped with upside-down flower pots, the netting will keep the birds from getting to most of the berries. You can buy bird netting at garden centers or online. Firm the compost gently, then scatter the seeds thinly and evenly over the surface and lightly cover with sharp sand

Advice for buying strawberry plants

Fruits may occasionally be affected by phyllody, and the fruit fly spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is likely to become an increasing problem. Some gardeners prefer a continuous row in the second and third year, rather than spaced plants. The overall crop may be higher, but the quality of fruits is not as good. Whichever method you use, keep a clear gap between the rows to give you access for weeding and harvesting