Grow Your Own Magazine

Gothic arch fruit cage worth £924

You may plan to save your fruit crop for jams, preserves or summer desserts but in practice, it’s hard to resist a juicy selection of just-ripened berries.

Unfortunately for home-growers, many birds feel the same way. Placing a sturdy, netted structure over vulnerable bushes, canes or even veg, prevents feathered visitors from reaching the plants before you do. GYO’s teamed up with Agriframes to offer one lucky reader a gothic arch fruit cage worth £924. This amazing prize will create a physical barrier between hungry creatures and your crop. Unlike straightforward netting, which has to be rolled back, this product allows you to walk straight up to the fruit and veg inside. The 1m wide self-closing door offers easy access and is large enough to accommodate tool-laden gardeners or wheelbarrows. Use it to care for plants without the hassle of moving or pinning back handfuls of mesh. Wildlife won’t be able to sneak in through the door when you’re not around; a catch keeps the cage firmly shut when it’s not in use.

Tall objects – and gardeners – won’t struggle to stand upright under the arched roof. At 2m in height it will shelter tall canes, bushes, veg beds and even some dwarf trees without any trouble.

net but Agriframes offers a more attractive option. It does the same job as a normal mesh but looks great, too. The unusual shape won't be hard to erect – the fabricated roof netting panels are designed to be fixed into place with the minimum of trouble.

Crop safety

Whether you want to protect beds of pigeontargeted brassicas or a long-term currant crop, the 5m x 2.5m space will give you plenty of room. Gardeners who drape a protective covering over their beds may find that sneaky birds peck at berries or other edibles visible through the nets. Even if avians can't reach the fruits, their attempts can still cause damage. The cage's small mesh size should ensure growers escape this problem – the heavy duty material will repel unwanted visitors. The product is wildlife-friendly, too.

Sagging or draped fabric may snag animals, making it impossible for them to escape. The taut sides of the cage mean that creatures are far less likely to become caught or harm themselves if they attempt to reach your crop.

You won't struggle to slot the fruit cage together. Agriframes designs and manufactures the product itself, then delivers the pieces straight to your door. Strong metal joints make the structure easy to assemble and ensure it will stay steady in breezy weather. The moistureresistant seals protect against rust, meaning the frame will need a minimum of aftercare. The hitensile steel tubing is galvanized both inside and out to resist corrosion, and has a long life UVtreated polymer coating. Netting ties and net hooks fasten the material into place, while galvanized ground hooks securely attach the main cage to the soil.

Up for grabs

Agriframes is a family run business, which has been producing horticultural supports for over 35 years. It supplys Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Wisley, Surrey and Rosemoor, Devon. If you would like further information on its products call 0845 260 4450 or go to agriframes.co.uk – simply fill in the form opposite for your chance to win a Gothic Arch Fruit Cage of your own.

Stay Green

This environmentally friendly alternative to wooden chicken coops is manufactured by Green Frog Designs. The specialist company's products are made almost entirely from recycled plastic and give old computers, food containers and other items a new lease of life. Staff take the recycled sheets and, using very accurate computer controlled equipment, cut it into complex shapes, creating easily-assembled items to use in the house and on the plot. Any waste is recycled back into more useable plastic. Chicken houses are available in a range of bright colours and sizes. They won't rot or be harmed by frost and are easy to clean, thanks to the full width back door and removable roof. The medium green model is suitable for up to four large or six small chickens, and has a retail price of £279.

For more information on Green Frog Designs eco-friendly products, call 07710 152 231 or go to greenfrogdesigns.co.uk. For your chance to win the medium green chicken house we have to give away follow the simple instructions below.

Feed Your Fowl

Made from natural, non-GM ingredients, The Fancy Feed Company’s range of poultry food is designed to provide the best possible nutrition for your chickens and other birds. The carefully developed mixes contain a number of healthy extras. Selenium, for example, is an antioxidant and provides support for immunity and fertility, so Fancy Feeds contain Sel-Plex®, which is more easily absorbed and utilised by the bird. Gut health is also vital, for digestive efficiency, and to guard against infection, so Bio-Mos® prebiotic is included to help remove harmful bacteria.

The Fancy Feed range now includes Chick Crumb and Grower Pellets as well as Layers’, Breeder & Show and Fenland Waterfowl pellets, plus Mixed Corn. For more information call 01371 850 247 or go to fancyfeedcompany.co.uk. Alternatively, follow the simple instructions below for your chance to win one of the five Fancy Feed voucher sets we have to give away. Each one allows you to select seven bags of poultry food from the range.

Gear Up

Gardeners can reduce the time spent feeding container-grown crops with the Atami Wilma hydro system. Pots are placed on a support tray that rests upon a tank. A dripper in each one delivers regular, measured doses of a nutrient solution. The kit offers you the flexibility to grow in any medium, and the ability to set feedings on a timer to suit the life stage of your plants. Or, if you've always wanted to try your hand at hydroponic growing, the NFT (nutrient film technology) system is an ideal starting point. It pumps water and nutrients directly to the roots of up to three plants, negating the need for soil while creating a super-oxygenated environment for your fast-maturing crops. For a unique method of producing your veg, use the Autopot easy2grow kit. It will water and feed plants without pumps, timers or electricity – irrigation takes place thanks to a gravity-fed 47 litre tank. All you need to do is top it up every few weeks with water and liquid feed.

For more information on these innovative growing products call 0844 879 4915 or go to acornhorticulture.co.uk. Alternatively, follow the simple instructions provided below for your chance to win one of the complete growing kits we have to give away: GYO's teamed up with Acorn Horticulture to offer an Atami Wilma 4 Pot Complete System worth £125, two GT205 NFT Systems costing £43 each, plus a £49 Autopot easy2grow kit.