Fruit Cages / Vegetable Cages (10th season in NZ) plus Anti- butterfly cages

"For good health eat less from a box and more from the earth"

If want to "Grow Your Own" after COVID-19, or with the high price of vegetables, decided to get more resilient and less reliant on supermarkets for your fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables, you need to consider crop protection. Whether it be from birds, pests, weeds, weather or diseases, it is an important next step for producing healthy quality crops with minimal wastage and chemical use.

This page contains a lot of products as we expand or range so be sure to scroll down. The products shown on this page are Fruit cages, Anti-butterfly cages, Birdscare tape, Birdscare balloons, Cherry tree sleeves, Anti-carrot fly screens plus a few inspirational ideas at the end. Enjoy!

Every year gardeners lose fruit and vegetables to birds and other animals. It would not be so bad if a bird only ate one strawberry, tomato or pear, but they seem to want to try them all. This leaves holes in the fruit, which in turn attracts wasps and opens the fruit up to disease. You wait a whole year for your crop and within a few days the entire crop can be destroyed. The only effective way to stop this is to enclose the fruit and vegetables within a bird proof cage. The cost of the cage is soon forgotten when you tuck into unmarked fresh fruit and vegetables from your garden. It is easiest to assemble a fruit cage before the crop is planted.

Our fruit and vegetable cages are designed and manufactured in the UK by Harrod Horticultural using premium aluminium tube, robust fixings, durable netting, and carry reassuring guarantees. Harrod Horticultural have 60 years of UK manufacturing expertise, which means every product is the result of excellence in British engineering, using established and advanced new techniques for proven quality and performance.

Our range of exclusive designs include walk-in fruit cages as well as butterfly cages. These cages offer the ultimate in fruit and vegetable crop protection from birds and white butterflies (butterfly cage). These fruit cages are trusted to guard the precious crops in the Royal Horticultural Society gardens around the UK.

Walk-in aluminium fruit cages are the most cost effective fruit cages for crop protection - with a natural non-rusting finish, supplied with heavy duty fruit cage side netting, high quality anti-bird fruit cage roof netting and secured with rigid expanding connectors.

Providing approx 2 metres of working (and plant growing!) height and supplied complete with a door, netting, clips, pegs and ties,along with a fully illustrated instruction booklet, our walk-in aluminium

Door hinge	Improved door latch

fruit cages are designed for use on flat and very slightly sloping surfaces.

The 25.4mm diameter uprights and top rods that we supply as standard make our walk-in aluminium fruit cages the strongest in their class.

Door hinges utilise high grade plastics and stainless steel. No rust.

Why Harrod Horticultural cages video Harrod Horticultural Aluminium fruit cages

Specifications

• Walk-in aluminium fruit cages and vegetable cages stand approx 2.0m above the ground
• The aluminium tubing is inserted 325mm (approx 1 foot) into the soil
• They come complete with one door unit as standard and 25.4mm round uprights and roof-supporting top rods
• Top rods do not sag when tension is applied to the roof netting
• Top rods are secured with flush fitting connectors
• Widely regarded as the strongest aluminium fruit cage available
• Framework carries a 10 year guarantee against faulty workmanship and materials
• Comes complete with 16mm square UV stabilised black extruded polypropylene
• 20mm black diamond anti-bird mesh, UV stabilised high density polyethylene for the roof
• The door frame is made with 25.4mm tube and is 900mm wide. It comes complete with plastic locking hinges, spring clip door catch and separate door catch upright
• The door can be fitted to any vertical pole. Extra door kits are available separately
• Ground pegs are supplied to fix the netting to the ground
• For very soft soil additional foot plates can be supplied
• Braces are available to give additional strength in exposed or windy locations
• Reusable netting ties means you can remove the netting when it is not needed, or when expecting snow.
• Fully illustrated instructions
• This product is supplied as a kit for self-assembly
• Please note the cages will not stop white butterflies. These large cages are normally used for fruiting vegetables, berries and fruit trees.The bees need to get through to pollinate so the mesh can't be too small. Portable cages with a smaller mesh to stop butterflies are often used with brassicas or our new range of walk in anti-butterfly cages shown below. Brassicas don't need pollination by bees.

All fruit / vegetable cages stand 2m above the ground and come with one door. The door can be attached to any vertical pole.

A 2 x 3 fruit cage only has 4 vertical poles, one in each corner, so you are limited to corners. The larger fruit cages where spans are over 3.5 metres have extra support poles in the middle, so doors can also be mounted on the middle poles of these cages. For example, a 7m x 7m has 8 possible mounting postitions.

The cages are not designed to support frost cloth or plastic. If you want to use these products to get a head start in spring, then it is best to use a simple cloche system inside a fruit cage.

Freight prices for delivery are to town/city addresses only. We can arrange a rural delivery to your door so please email for a quote. sales@hunkin.co.nz

Follow the link to find a depot, use "all" when asked for a category near you. Mainfreight depots

Be careful, it is impossible to keep a secret in a garden. The potatoes have eyes, the corn ears and the beanstalk.

If you are wondering how easy these cages are to construct, or you have already purchased a cage, you may find these videos useful. Just click outside the box which says "Welcome International Shopper" when you get to the Harrod page.

1/ Laying out your cage to find hole positions. Whilst this refers to a steel cage, laying out is the same Laying out the fruit cage to find hole positions

2/ Making holes for the poles Making holes for the poles

3/ Fitting door hinges Fitting the door hinges

4/ This shows fitting netting to a steel cage, but the principle is the same. Fitting the roof netting

5/ Optional Harrod Horticultural fruit cage braces Optional Harrod Horticultural cage braces

Sorry we do not supply parts for DIY projects. A limited amount of parts are kept to support the investment our customer's made in one of our fruit cages.

If the size you want is not here please email as we may be able to customise.

New stock due the end of January 2025

 

Nothing like fresh strawberries from your garden, but you need to keep the birds off to get any. You might be surprised to learn that strawberries are quite high in vitamin C and fibre. Research is showing that vitamin C has a greater importance in our diet than first thought. Strawberries need at least a fortnight below 7 degrees celcius when dormant to fruit.

Part number	Width m	Length m	Area m2	Price	Freight NI	Freight SI
16003000200BS	3	2	6	sold out	$177	$227
16004000300BS	4	3	12	sold out	$177	$227
16004500200BS	4.5	2	9	sold out	$197	$250
16005000300	5	3	15	sold out	$197	$250
16004000400BS	4	4	16	sold out	$200	$263
16005000400	5	4	20	sold out	$200	$263
16005000500BS	5	5	25	sold out	$230	$273
16006000200BS	6	2	12	sold out	$200	$263
16006000300	6	3	18	sold out	$200	$263
16006000400BS	6	4	24	$1570	$210	$273
16006000500	6	5	30	$1670	$210	$273
16006000600BS	6	6	36	$1670	$213	$278
16007000200BS	7	2	14	$1160	$213	$273
16007000300	7	3	18	$1160	$213	$276
16007000400BS	7	4	28	$1544	$213	$273
16007000500	7	5	30	$1544	$213	$273
16007000600BS	7	6	35	$1670	$213	$278
16007000700	7	7	49	$1670	$185	$278
16008000600BS	8	6	48	$2011	$236	$300
16008000700	8	7	56	$2011	$236	$300
16008000800	8	8	64	$2482	$236	$300

Please note. You can't hammer in the aluminium poles directly so you need something to form the holes. You can either add one of our hole formers to your order (no extra freight) of use a bit of 25mm or inch steel pipe you may have laying around to form holes.

Sorry it is not economic to freight to cages Australia

Pick ups We have no problem if you wish to save freight and pick up your fruit cage form Hunkin Garden Products in Tuakau. You can select this on the drop down boxes, or alternatively we can email you an invoice. Please contact us if you want to do the latter.Please make an appointment to pick up as we are not always here. The maximum lengths you will have to accomodate are either 3m or 3.5m. Our maximum span is 3.5 metres, so with a 7 x 7 for instance some of the poles will be 3.5m long. If it is a 6 x 6, then some of the pole lengths will be 3m.

Please note sizes can be up to 2% bigger due to the fittings

Customizing. Want a different size?

If we do not have the size you want we do have limited customising ability. We can reduce the size of a cage by cutting down the aluminium tubing for you. You then cut the oversize netting once installed with scissors. This means you will need to pick a larger size than needed if you want us to customise it.eg. if you want a 4m x 2m you will need to order a 4.5m x 2m and we will cut it down to 4m x 2m. For example. Some of the cages with part numbers ending in BS (Bespoke) are ones made from larger models. If you need something larger than listed the best way to do this is to join two together. It does mean the netting has to be joined at some point with cable ties. The poles can be butted up together and clamped with hose clips, or we can supply plastic fittings to join the tubing. There is no extra charge for customising. Even though we are using two or more cages to make a larger size, the freight does not necessarily double. Ask for a quote on the size required and a delivery price.

Our customer Eric purchased four fruit cages and joined them together.

"Hi Graham,

Just wanting to thank you for supplying these absolutely fabulous aluminium fruit cages. We have been enjoying an overload of berries this summer, too many to eat in fact! The raspberry harvest has been in excess of 10 kilograms, and we are still harvesting. We will be harvesting our blueberries soon and also expect many kgs of fruit.
These cages are absolutely fantastic, so much room and plenty of head height to work inside when it comes to weeding, watering, etc. The obvious high-end quality of these cages will mean we will be enjoying the "fruits" of our labour for many years to come. Having connected four cages together as you suggested has given us four separate doors, a real luxury indeed. I can't recommend these cages highly enough to those serious about wanting berries, fruits or any crops you would want to keep birds away from.

Eric B

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see Eric's fruit cage and berries. Warning, we take no responsibility for any drooling that shorts out your keyboard.

Hi Graham,
Just to let you know that the cage is up and looking fantastic! What's more to the point some very disappointed Wekas, Tuis and chooks ??

The cage frame went up easily even though the area had a slight slope and the cutting of 3 poles to fit the area better was a breeze. I was a little worried about putting up the netting but the videos made it look so easy and it was!
I am so happy with the 'cage' and strongly recommend it - looks good and is protecting my crops.

Please feel free to add my comments above to your site - couldn't see how I could.

Happy New Year and all the best for 2023.
Denise

Protect against brassica massacre. New walk-in cage range to protect from white butterfly.

There are only 3 choices when it comes to white butterflies. Watch your brassicas get demolished by caterpillars, spray the hell out of them (which defeats the purpose of growing your own) or grow them inside a cage that won't let the butterflies in.

Our cages are specially made for us by Harrod Horticultural based on the very successful fruit and vegetable cage design, except we have anti-butterfly netting 7mm, instead of the bigger anti-bird netting at 16mm and 20mm. All anti-butterfly cages stand 2m above the ground and come with one door. The door can be attached to any vertical pole.

It is worth noting our fruit and vegetable cages and brassica cages cannot be substituted for each other. You need one of each. Fruit and vegetable cages have a bigger mesh so pollinators like bees and other insects can get inside it, but unfortunately so can pests like the white butterfly. So plants requiring pollinators need to go inside a fruit and vegetable cage. A brassica cage has a much finer mesh, so butterflies are excluded, but so are all of the pollinating insects, so these are only useful for leafy vegetables that don't need pollinating.

Colon Cancer Prevention

Recent research from the Francis Crick Institute, London, sugests that chemicals in vegetable such as kale, cabbage and broccoli, could help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent colon cancer. The research found that mice fed on a diet rich in indole-3-carbinal (produced when we digest brassicas) were protected from gut inflammation and colon cancer. Source Kitchen Garden Magazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Tumour reduction

A new study from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, Massachusetts has found that broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage and collard greens contain a substance that could free up a vital gene that plays a role in cancers. They contain a substance that targets a gene called WWP1 which in lab animals was shown to supress tumour growth. Source Kitchen Garden Magazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Anti - white butterfly cages

Freight prices for delivery are to town/city addresses only. We can arrange a rural delivery to your door so please email for a quote. Contact us

Click here to display PDF file showing Mainfreight Depots and target delivery times

Inside brassica cage		Outside brassica cage

Please note sizes can be up to 2% bigger due to the fittings

You can't hammer in the aluminium poles directly so you need something to form the holes. You can either add one of our hole formers to your order (no extra freight) of use a bit of 25mm or inch steel pipe you may have laying around to form holes.

We can customise the size as we do for fruit cages (see above)

Accessories

If you have a windy area it is a good idea to add extra bracing.

Braces $60.00 per corner. Free freight if ordered with fruit cage.
If ordered separately - NI $12.50 SI $12.50. Rural delivery additional $6.00

Wire bracing system

If you live in a high wind area you might like to consider the wire turnbuckle bracing system we have developed. This is a cheap bracing system which is highly effective and based on the H brace system used in certain situations NZ farming and horticulture.

Simple components
The components are a 25mm stainless steel hose clamp, stainless steel turnbuckle and some galvanised 1.6mm soft wire. The PDF has all the details and how it goes together. All these materials can easily be found at any hardware store. You can either source your own materials (this is the cheapest option) or we can sell it to you as a kit.

It is important that the wires are attached to the base of the fruit cage corners so the wire goes into tension when stressed. Ideally in a high wind situation you would install two wire braces on every corner.

All you need a flat bladed screwdriver and some wire cutters to assemble.

Click here to display PDF file showing fitting instructions

Wire brace system kit
1 x 25mm stainless steel hose clamp, 1 x stainless steel turnbuckle and a length of galvanised soft wire.
$30.00 plus $11.00 postage NI & SI, Rural delivery additional $5.00 (postage will be deducted if ordering with a fruit cage)

Extra doors

2nd door, the same as the original door.$148.00 The door frame is made with 25.4mm tube and is 900mm wide. It comes complete with plastic locking hinges, door catch and separate door catch upright. No netting or clips are supplied as you nomally have enough left over from your cage.

Original extra door $148.00. Free freight if ordered with a fruit cage.
If ordered separately we will get you a freight price. It is oversize for a Courier, so it has to come on a truck. The cost will be high. Best to get the extra door with your cage.

Hole Former

The extremely useful hole former is used to create pilot holes for Fruit and Vegetable Cages. You can't hammer in the aluminium poles because if you damage the tube the fittings will no longer fit. The 25.4mm diameter by 800mm long steel hole former makes holes so the poles and be pushed into the ground.

The 3.25mm gauge steel bar defies all sorts of unfavourable soil conditions - stones, flint, brick, builders' debris and heavily compacted ground - to create the perfect holes for fruit cage uprights and will withstand heavy and prolonged hammering from a mallet or sledge hammer.

The Hole Former measures 25.4mm Dia x 800mm
Former steel wall is 3.25mm thick
Designed for use in all unfavourable soil conditions
Creates perfect pilot hole for fruit cages
Tough enough to withstand heavy hammering through compacted and stony soils

Hole former $25.00. Freight NI $12.50, SI 22.00, rural delivery an additional $5.50

Heavy Duty Foot Plates

The 10cm square foot plates ensures the hinging upright maintains position in softer soil conditions and can also be used on all uprights to increase the stability and rigidity of aluminium fruit and vegetable cages.

Each zinc plated steel foot plate measures 10cm x 10cm and is 3mm thick. They help stabilise the cage and door kit hinging uprights. They are ideal for use in light and soft soil conditions and simply bolt to the uprights. They are easy to fit during cage assembly and can be fitted at a later date, but the upright must be lifted clear of soil or the footplate slid over the top.

Heavy duty foot plate $22.50. Free freight if ordered with fruit cage.
If ordered separately - $12.50 NZ Post bag for up to 4 units. rural delivery an additional $6.00 (We will adjust your payment)

Alternative methods of bird control 

There is no better method of protecting your crop than with a fruit cage, however sometimes you might only want to have some protection for a short time, or you have to cover a taller tree and it is not possible to cover it with netting.

Birdscare tape / humming tape / flash tape

2 rolls of Birdscare / Flash tape	Young bean at vulnerable stage to bird attack. If a bird picks off the centre shoot then the young bean dies

This tape can be a good short term deterrent. Ideal for suspending over a new bed of freshly planted bean seeds for instance. Bean seeds when they germinate are very vulnerable. The first leaves are their cotyledons with a young growing shoot in the middle. Birds seem to love this new shoot and often peck it off. If this happens the bean dies as it has no other growing shoots, so now you have a patchy bean crop. If you can get the bean seedling past this point with a good growing shoot you are normally in the clear.

How to use
The tape is stretched over the crop between two stakes and the wind makes it flick around and give off flashes of light. If you twist it a bit when running it out you can get some wonderful effects which put the birds off. Sometimes it makes a bit of a humming noise which also acts as a deterrent. You can also string it through your orchard to try and deter the birds or cut strips to flutter around in the wind.

Bird scare tape (two rolls per pack, over 200 metres total). $17.00 per pack
Post and packaging $9.50, NZ Post bag (can be sent to a PO Box) Rural delivery additional $6.00

Birdscare balloons

Balloons are designed to emulate a predator like a hawk, big scary eyes looking at you. I know my ducks performed a bit when I hung them in the trees for the photo. They can be a cheap method of keeping birds off fruit temporarily. Birds soon get used to things, so it is best to alternate between balloons and locations to keep them off guard. Supplied in packs of three colours as shown.The pvc balloons are approximately 350mm in diameter and come with a few shiny tassels that blow in the wind for extra effect. Simply pump or blow up until reasonably firm and hang in a tree avoiding sharp branches.

Bird scare balloons (pack of three). $33.00 per pack
Post and packaging $12.50, NZ Post padded bag (can be sent to a PO Box) Rural delivery additional $6.00

Cherry tree sleeve

Invented by one of Harrod Horticultural customers, the re-usable 10m Harrod Fruit Tree Sleeve Roll comes complete with quick releasable cable ties is a great way to protect precious cherries and other fruit from birds, aphids and adverse weather. As well as encouraging faster ripening on individual branches, there is also a cost saving on the expense and effort of erecting a fruit cage over numerous trees.

Harrod Fruit sleeves can be used on a variety of fruits including cherries, peaches, grapes, figs & plums etc. Use as much of the sleeve as you need for individual fruits, clusters or whole branches, even over a metre long.

The UV stabilised fine grade insect mesh sleeve is supplied on a 10m roll 17.5cm Dia. and works by covering suitable branches laden with fruit just starting to form. Simply slide the sleeve from the pack and then cut off the required length with scissors at the end of the branch.

Leaves need to be carefully inspected and any existing problems treated before being covered with fruit tree sleeves and inspected at regular intervals.

Both ends of the sleeve are then clamped with the supplied releasable cable ties to achieve end to end branch protection. When cherries are ripe, simply release the ties, slide off the sleeve for use next season, and harvest your sweet tasting, undamaged fruit!

Packs contains 10m of fruit tree sleeve and 40 releasable sleeve ties
Helps protects all manner of fruit from birds, aphids, rain and hail
Suitable for covering cherries, peaches, grapes, figs & plums etc.

There is no fiddly tying, no strings just simple reusable clips, which are attached on one end or either end if needs be. Just cut to length allowing extra for tying to the top of the branch and at the bottom of the the sleeve, if required. Once cut to length slide the sleeve on to the branch, as you would with an ordinary "sleeve", as simple as that!

10m x 17.5cm diameter Cherry tree sleeve 55.00 inc GST. Postage and packaging $17.50. Can be sent to a PO Box. Rural delivery additional $6.00.

Anti-Carrot Fly screen

Anti Carrot-Fly Screen will put a stop to the aerial progress of the low flying carrot-fly, a perennial pest for growers of carrots, parsnips, parsley and celery.

Erecting our 61cm/2ft high Anti Carrot-Fly Screen will stop the fly in its tracks as this univited insect cannot fly at an altitude greater than the screen. The Anti Carrot-Fly Screen kit contains 7.9m/26'3" of 0.25mm x 0.8mm ultra fine insect mesh, 6 x 95cm x 16mm/0.6" diameter aluminium tubing and 18 fixing clips and is simple to erect and dismantle.
The Anti Carrot-Fly Screen will stand approx 61cm/2ft high once assembled (with up to 30cm/1ft pushed into the ground)
The kit consists of 7.9 metres of 0.25mm x 0.8mm Ultra Fine Insect Mesh, 6 x 95cm/3ft x 16mm/0.6" diameter aluminium tubing and 18 fixing clips.
Aluminium tube supports are simply pushed into the soil approx 30cm/1ft
Netting is secured onto uprights with durable clips supplied
Helps to form a barrier against flea beetles, rabbits, cats and rodents too
Also ideal as a windbreak. Ensure the barrier is complete with no open ends or sides. Easily taken down for winter storage.

"The Carrot Fly Screen which stands 61cm (2ft) high when erected, will also form an effective barrier against flea beetles, rabbits and rodents as well as deterring cats and acting as a windbreak to young seedlings and is easily dismantled and stored when not needed.

Carrot fly is a perpetual pest in the world of carrot growing, and placing a fine mesh barrier around is a common - and very effective - way of preventing the low-flying adult flies from landing in the bed and laying eggs. The mesh fence does not need a roof to cover the crop and as long as the bed is enclosed by a 60cm high screen, the adults should not be able to enter. Erect any perimeter blockade in early May and keep in place until well after the last generation of adult flies emerge in September for complete peace of mind.

You can also companion plant with onions as the carrot-fly is attracted by the scent of pulled carrots, and the strong aroma of onions is enough to confuse it. Try and ensure you sow seed sparsely to avoid thinning the developing crop - this practice should also keep your carrots a secret!

It's also important in any veg growing situation - but especially when carrots are involved - to practice crop rotation, and ensure you don't grow the same plants, or related crops, on the same site for at least three years. Larvae and pupae over-winter in the soil and will make short work of your carrot crop if not!"

Anti-Carrot Fly Screen 90.00 inc GST. Postage and packaging NI (not rural) $23.00. Rural plus $6.50
Postage and packaging SI (not rural) $31.00. Rural plus $6.50

Looking for inspiration?

Maurice from Coromandel (81 years young) sent us a few pictures of his garden protected by one of our fruit cages. He has added a few diagonal wires for extra bacing which is not a bad idea if you have very strong winds, though to date we have not had any damaged by storms.

You would never believe Gerald from Tamahere is in his 80s! This is his setup below.

Not quite finished, but this is two 6x5 fruit cages being joined together. A high wind area so the wire brace system is fitted. Note the very well made raised beds filled with compost.		Raised beds. This picture is taken in September. Look at the growth! The netting probably forms a bit of a windbreak so it helps the plants to grow. Normally Gerald's plants would be decimated by Pukekos.

Eric's cages and some of his crop

Some of Eric's berries	Eric's cages	Joined cages LH side	Joined cages RH side

Andrew's fruit cage setup, two 7 x 7 fruit cages joined together		Andrew's fruit cage setup, two 7 x 7 fruit cages joined together

Andrew's fruit cage setup, two 7 x 7 fruit cages joined together

Stephanie Harrod's residence and product testing / demonstration garden.

In April 2016 we visited Harrod Horticultural in Lowestoft, England. Stephanie Harrod, Managing Director has a fantastic house and property which doubles as a display garden and often features in their advertsing.

Harrod Horticultural is one of the large employers in the area and have a large factory. One of the first things you see in the foyer is a proudly displayed picture frame of all the long time serving employees and a display cabinet with the awards they have won.

Here are a few pictures from inside the factory and we could not resist a taking a picture of the topiary gorse bush outside in the garden.Not an idea that we think will catch on in New Zealand .

Inside the factory	Frames stacked ready for sale	Storage
Joining netting	Net measuring machine	Topiary gorse bush!

A few ideas on training fruit trees so they can be covered with a fruit cage.

Hunkin Garden Products vegetable garden

Hunkin Garden Products veggie garden under a 7m x 7m fruit cage.		From left. Tomatoes on tripods, dwarf beans, and strawberries in 150mm raised beds all safe from birds inside the 7m x 7m walk in fruit cage
7m x 7m fruit cage. From left. Trained Stella cherry in blue 1/2 drum to dwarf it. Perpetual spinnach, tomatoes on tripods, dwarf beans and strawberries in 150mm raised beds. Check out the 742gm tomato we grew on our greenhouse page		Close up of strawberries in raised beds. We don't grow on polythene. This results in more weeding but we get good runners (new plants) for the next season.

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