Broccoli protection

Just before Christmas, I took part in a volunteering session at Oxford City Farm and one of my jobs was to reinforce the protective netting around brassicas, which pigeons had started feasting on. 

My first instinct when I made it to the plot the next day was to check my broccoli bed and there was no damage so I didn't do anything. 

But when I got back to Oxford for new year, I noticed some of the leaves were badly damaged so I made a mental note to put up netting.

I had to rummage through the shed to find enough netting to cover the area (it's a wide bed) and some of the netting is actually the shade I use for the greenhouse in the summer, but that's the broccoli now fully protected. 

I really hate plastic on allotments but, if you can't avoid it, the next best thing is to look after it and make it last as long as possible.