Regarding your first question, birds got too many of my blackberries last year, and I discovered that just throwing bird netting over the berries creates a tangled mess that still doesn't give great protection. So, this year I built a bird screen using PVC tubing over rebar as posts. I then used fittings to connect the ends of the posts to horizontal pieces of PVC tubing, creating a rectangular frame, which I covered with bird netting. With the netting raised over the berries, I can keep the birds out without getting everything tangled up. I pinned down the edges of the netting at the sides and back so birds won't hop under it. Then, for the front, I attached the bottom edge of the net to two long pieces of PVC pipe and used them as weights to hold the front down. When I want to go in, I just lift up the pipe in front and duck under. I can also roll the netting up around the front pipes, hang it from some clips that I attached to the top front part of the frame, and leave it open when the flowers are in bloom so that the bees can get in to pollinate them. The whole thing cost about $60 at Home Depot and took about an hour and a half to build. If I can figure out how to attach pictures here, I can post a photo so you can see what I mean. Regarding your second question, my Darrows have primocanes up, but you're in a different zone than I am and I don't have any experience with Kiowa, so I can't help much. Good luck! Rob

Just got my net from plantra and not real happy with the product. was supposed to be 17x100 and the width is only around 13 ft. Then after I stretched it almost to it's breaking point I got just short of 16 ft. Going to call them on Monday to see whats up. I was hoping to get this thing completed by 2morrow but I guess its not going to happen. Didn't even check the length, don't really want to get any angrier than I already am. Just had to vent.

My father built a cage out of PVC to go over his strawberry beds -- it wasn't a hoop type structure -but more of a square cage. He made it about 8-10 inches high and it was the full size of the bed--which was huge-- probably 10 foot by 12 foot- he strung the bird netting over it to keep the birds out and anchored the netting down in strategic places with some rocks/boards etc. It worked quite well to keep them away from it -kept squirrels out too. He just flipped it over when it was time to weed or pick and flopped it back in place when he was done--then took it apart for winter storage in the garage.

calfee20(6b), I love the enclosure that you have! Can you give the dimensions of your enclosure, the height of the outside posts, the height of the center of the enclosure, the length of the PVC over the top, the amount of space between the fence and the bushes, and the width of the central walkway, and some more photos? This is the best example of the kind of enclosure to protect my Dad's (he's 89 yrs) 30+ year old bushes. He can't take care of them now. I have access to the posts, PVC, wire, space to build it, and can buy the netting, and anything else. My Dad likes your design and we want to copy it. I, too, hope to have a bumper crop next year that we don't have to share with the birds!! We put up several plastic birds, that I move every day and they have helped a little, but your enclosure is what we like best. The mocking birds, blue jays, and robins are so heavy they're breaking the branches AND eating the berries. Got to stop it in Buford, GA.