GRIFFIN, Georgia – New research from the Alabama Cooperative Extension and Southern SARE shows that increasing the use of shade cloth and netting covering high tunnel gardens helps reduce pests among fruit and vegetable plants. This is good news for farmers wanting to reduce or eliminate pesticides in their food gardens.
The netting acts as a physical barrier to keep pests out while harboring healthy populations of beneficial bugs, says Ayanava Majumdar, who authored the informational bulletin describing the use and benefits of the “net houses.”