Bird & Butterfly Protection Netting

Garden netting and mesh support climbing crops, keep birds, rabbits and insects off plants, and make simple enclosures. This category covers pea and bean netting, plastic garden mesh, galvanised wire netting, netting staples, ground stakes and pegs, and clips for fixing mesh and trellis.

Choosing netting or mesh

• Pea and bean netting: a wide-mesh net that climbing peas and beans can grip as they grow.
• Butterfly and insect mesh: much finer. Netting of about 4mm to 7mm keeps white butterflies off brassicas if the leaves do not touch it, mesh of about 1.3mm keeps out carrot fly and cabbage root fly, and finer mesh is needed for aphids and flea beetle.
• Galvanised wire netting: wire mesh for fencing out rabbits, protecting plants and making runs. Check the roll height, length and hole size against the animal you want to keep in or out.

Fixing it in place

Netting staples, also called U nails, fix wire mesh to posts and timber. They come galvanised or zinc plated in lengths from about 15mm to 40mm. Ground pegs and stakes hold the edges of lighter netting, and plastic clips attach mesh to trellis and canes. Bury or weigh down the edges of insect mesh so pests cannot crawl underneath.

Wildlife safety

Birds and hedgehogs can become tangled in loose netting and may be injured or killed. Keep nets pulled taut, fix the edges securely, raise pea netting about 30cm above the ground so hedgehogs can pass underneath, and store netting away when it is not in use.

For canes, ties and other supplies, see garden sundries, or browse growing products.