Whereas this is more typical of today:
I have recently become aware of a company that sells horticultural mesh, called Wondermesh. I saw something about them on Twitter and contacted the company to see if they would send me a sample for review. They responded swiftly and positively. Within a few days a sample arrived:
The sample is of their most popular product, a sheet of netting 3.65 x 10 metres in size, with a mesh size of 0.8mm. As it happens, I am impressed with the packaging too (see photo above). It tells you all you need to know! You can't see it in the photo, but the cardboard box has a carrying-handle at the top, which would be a useful feature if this item were to be on sale in a Garden Centre, both for the merchant and for the customer. The little cut-out window where the "o" of "Gro" is lets the customer see and feel exactly what the material is like.
Included in my package was a set of samples of some of the other products currently produced by Wondermesh. There are four different gauges of insect mesh, ranging from 0.3mm to 1.33mm, an anti-hail netting (2mm x 4mm), which also doubles as butterfly protection, and a weed-suppressing fabric (the black one in the photo below). Each of the types is available in several different lengths and widths.
The Buyer's Guide gives more details of the products and tells you in words and pictures how to use it to best advantage. This photo shows what I'm going to do with mine... (since this is an old photo it features a rival's product of course, but I shall use it the same way!). I think I may also be tempted to buy a piece of the very fine netting next year, to keep aphids and Whitefly off my brassicas.
The mesh products are all made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which has an expected life of at least 10 years. The netting is even machine-washable. The products appear very strong, but even if you do get a tear in your netting, Wondermesh offer UV-stabilized thread with which to make repairs!
Not included in my sample, but mentioned in the Buyer's Guide, are other products such as Fleece, Framing Hoops (net-supports), Pegs and Sandbags (the latter two for securing the netting). Perhaps I should mention here that Wondermesh provide products relevant to large-scale farming as well as to small-scale horticulture. Their website is well worth a look for anyone interested in growing anything! You can even order free samples of the products - supplied on the little cards shown in one of the photos above. I wish I had known about these people earlier...
Note: The sample product mentioned in this post (normally priced at £43.46 + £3.50 post and packing) was provided free-of-charge by Wondermesh at my request. I was placed under no obligation to write a positive review!
