tu-tu tulle in the garden

 

To deter cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs on the cole crops, the cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are covered with a length of 72 inch wide tulle from JoAnn's fabrics, purchased at 50% off, for about 60 cents a yard.

I'm  trying this out as a low-budget alternative to Reemay-type row cover fabric.   It offers no frost protection, but sunshine and water easily passes through.  We'll see how it holds up.  So far this one width of "fabric" is enough to cover a 4 foot wide bed, the edges "adhering" to the rough cedar boards the garden beds are framed in, but the plants are growing now and so another length of the tulle might be necessary, either overlapped or stitched together down its length.

I can't personally take credit for the idea of using this stuff as I got the idea from a non-internet-savvy friend of mine who is trying this out too this year after finding that the spun floating row covers don't hold up over time as well as she would have liked.

Of course,  here is a whole discussion already on the matter that I just came across a couple of minutes ago, and they're using the phrase "prom garden" to describe their tulle covered gardens.

And, when this stuff starts to tear and fall to pieces, there will be an endless supply of  material on hand for dish scrubbies.

Comments

[Rose]

I think that's a great idea! I'll be interested to know how it works out; the squirrels and birds are messing with our garden and that might slow them down.

[michelle]

Well, I'm certainly interested to see if this works for you-- right now I'm spraying bt once a week. I tried the row cover, and it cooked my poor plants during a hot week in May, so I gave up on it. Do you suppose the tulle would work for carrot flies, or are they small enough to get through the holes? I'll go check out the discussion. Thanks!

[Judy]

I wonder if that would work on my raspberry bushes.

[suse]

Completely off topic but I can't locate your email address and immediately thought of you when I saw this:

http://larissmix.typepad.com/stitch_marker/2009/07/the-squares-they-haunt-my-dreams.html

just in case you haven't seen it yet! I know I've seen sock yarn squares on your blog in the past and had to show you and go squeeee!

[Georganna]

Thanks for the great idea! I've been wondering what I could put on my little fig tree to keep the birds from pecking holes in them -- problem solved.

[Ellen]

Good idea - I think I may have to use some tulle too.

[homemoma]

i lost all my cabbages to those butterflies.