We planted some redcurrants, blueberries and a tayberry bush a few years ago but the blackbirds always got to the fruit before we could harvest it. The fruit area is a difficult shape and on a slope so we could not use one of the commercially available fruit cages as they are usually intended for a flat, level rectangular area. We ordered a load of 2″ x 2″ treated timber from local company James Smith Fencing and the netting from First Tunnels in Lancashire and set about building a fruit cage. Here’s the start of the construction.

A few days later and we had a fruit cage – just in time before the fruit started to ripen.

This is the first time we’ve seen a whole bunch of ripe redcurrants.

The tayberries have also been very productive.

The raspberries were not as good this year because of the dry conditions. We need to re-organise the raspberry canes for next year to allow more room to get between the plants.