Quick verdict
Eight coated metal hoops 2.6 feet long with forked feet that push into a raised bed and stand up better than fiberglass, plus a 13 by 10 foot fine mesh net and sixteen stainless clips, covering a bed about four feet wide and ten long against cabbage moths, flea beetles, birds and the neighbour's cat. Metal hoops hold their shape in wind and do not splinter; the net passes light, air and rain and cuts to fit a smaller bed. It is a complete cover for the standard long raised bed.
Strengths
- Rustproof coated metal hoops with forked feet stand firm in wind
- Thirteen by ten foot net covers a long raised bed
- Sixteen stainless clips hold the net to the hoops
- Fine mesh stops moths, beetles and birds
- Net cuts to fit smaller beds
Weaknesses
- Hoops are low; tall crops outgrow the tunnel
- Net edges must be weighted or pests walk under
- Coating chips where clips rub
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
A Tunnel That Stays Up
Fiberglass hoops bow in wind, splinter in hands and lose their spring in a season. Coated metal hoops do none of that. Uyeesi’s kit is eight 2.6 foot metal hoops with forked feet, a fine mesh net 13 by 10 feet and sixteen stainless clips, enough to cover a standard four by ten foot raised bed against moths, beetles, birds and cats.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how hoop and net kits perform on raised beds generally. We have not used this kit ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Setting Up
Push a hoop into each side of the bed every 18 inches, forked feet down so they grip the soil. Drape the net over the hoops with an equal overhang each side, clip it to each hoop, and weight the long edges with boards or a line of soil and the ends with a brick. To work the bed, unclip one side, fold the net back over the hoops and clip it down again afterwards.
What It Protects
Brassicas from cabbage white caterpillars, young plants from flea beetles, strawberries from birds, carrots from carrot fly if the edges are sealed, and any fresh bed from cats. The mesh passes light, air and rain so plants grow on under it without lifting.
Height
The tunnel is around 15 to 18 inches high on a four foot bed. Salads, roots, strawberries and brassica starts suit it. Tomatoes and climbing beans outgrow it and want taller hoops or a frame.
Hoops
Coated steel that holds its curve in wind and goes back into the shed straight at the end of the season. The coating chips where clips rub over time and a dab of paint stops rust there.
Net Size
Thirteen by ten covers the bed with enough overhang to weight. For a shorter bed, cut the net with scissors and hem the cut edge with a fold under a board.
Who Should Buy It
- Owners of a long raised bed growing brassicas and salads.
- Gardeners fed up with fiberglass hoops.
- Anyone with cats or birds in a fresh bed.
Common Owner Complaints
Pests under unweighted edges and chipped coating. Weight the edges; touch up the paint.
Care
Fold the net dry and keep it out of sun between seasons. Wipe the hoops and store them flat so the curve is not strained.
Alternatives to Consider
A fiberglass hoop kit for a budget bed. Taller metal hoops for tomatoes. A pop-up net tent for a small bed.
Verdict
For a standard long raised bed, metal hoops and a big net are the cover that lasts, and this kit has the clips to hold it. Weight the edges, lift one side to work and keep the tall crops elsewhere.
Full specifications
Uyeesi Metal Garden Netting Kit, 8 Hoops 2.6 Feet, 13 x 10 Foot Fine Mesh Insect Netting and 16 Clips FAQs
Hoops of 2.6 feet pushed into a four foot bed give a tunnel around 15 to 18 inches high, which suits brassicas, salads, carrots and strawberries. Tomatoes outgrow it.
Push a hoop into each side of the bed every 18 inches or so, drape the net over, clip it to the hoops and weight the edges with boards or soil all round.
Fiberglass hoops splinter, bow and lose their spring; coated metal stays the shape it was and the forked feet hold in loose soil.
A net clipped on and weighted at the edges does. A loose net is a hammock.
