Re: wire mesh?

**Carol Ann Mason camason@btinternet.com>**

Hi,

I did not intend to I had a couple to see what they looked like.  After 
I made my first layout I went off to find some seeds etc.  When I came 
back my cat was already digging in the squares, so I put the cages over 
to stop him.

I did not have time to keep cutting them out so I had some large pieces 
of chicken wire and made some large cages to hold him back.  I have not 
yet been bothered about cutting them up and it is easier just to lift 
large cages to do some weeding.

I have lots of birds and squirrels which eat all my fruit before I get a 
chance of eating it.  I believe that they would eat the early lettuce so 
cages could be useful.
I did not think that I had any rabbit problems, but my cat brought in 
and ate a Hare yesterday so perhaps the cages will be useful.

However the cages are very useful at the moment as the leaves are all 
falling and the cages are keeping them off the ground.

I am mainly growing salad items this winter.  I thought slugs would be 
my only problem.  So far using something called slug stoppa around my 
3ft by 4ft area seems to be working except now the leaves are falling on 
this and making bridges so I must be vigilant and keep picking the 
leaves up.

(I live in a clearing in  some old woods so lots of leaves!!!)

I am enjoying my lettuce though which I am pleased is surviving the 
slugs.  Now I have made my first Square Metre Garden as I have a cloche 
which is 1 metre square.  I should be able to have some form of 
lettuce/greens over the winter months.   Only problem will be trying to 
rotate my garden.   Anyway I have 6 plots so I will just keep moving 
around them leaving some fallow or full of strawberries and rotate that 
way.

At the In article 
<5.0.0.25.2.20011003211826.033edad0@pop3.vo.cnchost.com>, JC Dill 
<sqft@vo.cnchost.com> writes
>On 10:08 AM 9/28/01, Carol Ann Mason wrote:
>>Thanks to everyone who wrote with suggestions, I will try and look
>>around the other builders stores and see what is available.   Last time
>>the sellers were not very informative. - everthing was rolled up in
>>plastic and they would not open one for me to see the strength.
>
>The big difference between chicken wire and hardware cloth is that hardware
>cloth is "welded" mesh, chicken wire isn't.  If the package indicates an
>opening size that is suitable for your needs, and it's welded wire, then
>give it a try.
>
>Here in the US, we have welded wire hardware cloth mesh at 1/4 inch, 1/2
>inch, 3/4 inch, 1 inch and then it goes into "welded wire fencing" with 1x2
>inch openings, up to 2x4 inch openings (often called horse fencing or
>non-climb fencing, and sometimes the wire junctions are "wrapped" which
>makes for a sturdier fencing and a more expensive mesh, you don't need that
>for gardening) to 4x4 and 4x6 "field fencing".  The 4x6 stuff is great for
>making tomato cages if you don't do the trellis method (or for using on a
>trellis instead of strings).  But the openings are large enough to let in
>birds and rabbits and such.   So you need to pick the right mesh for your
>particular garden's needs.
>
>So... back to needs.  Why are you putting cages all over your garden?  Do
>you have problems with birds (and if so, what type, what size) or with
>ground dwelling critters (and if so, what type, what size).
>
>jc
>
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Carol
who just loves raw food ;-)))
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