Top product picks for vegetable garden protection

If you love your outdoors, growing your own is a great little hobby to have.

Thanks to Mother Nature, we have the backdrop and ingredients for bountiful vegie gardens. But unfortunately, she can also work against them.

From extremes of weather to birds, pests and rodents and the seasonal threat of bushfires, there are a lot of things threatening to destroy your carefully tended-to patch, garden bed or pots full of growing produce.

But fear not! Jack is here with everything you need to keep your edibles safe so you can enjoy the fruits, vegies or herbs of your labour all year around.

Product categories for vegetable garden protection: 

Plant Growing & Protection 
Plant Protection 
Mesh Fencing
Gutter Guard

Summer protection

Summer is great for beach days, BBQs, the Christmas break, sports and all-around good vibes. But it’s not everyone’s favourite season.

The extremes of heat, dry or humid conditions, and all that goes with them can be pretty unpleasant, wouldn’t you agree? Well, so would your vegie garden! From scorched wilting leaves to dry soil zapped of nutrients, it can be a killer.

But just as we hide in the cool shade and stay hydrated to protect ourselves, we should be doing the same for our homegrown plant produce so they don’t get too much sun or wilt from a lack of soil moisture.

See also: 5 helpful tips for a happy summer garden

Winter protection

Just like summer, winter has its good and bad. The slower pace, the cooler, more comfortable weather, soups, stews and comfort food (with homegrown root vegies!), and cosy indoor vibes are just some of its perks.

But sometimes, that cool, comfortable weather can turn into freezing temperatures, heavy or light frost, and extreme rain and wind.

You can stay inside or wrap up warm, but your fruits, vegies and herbs left outside in your garden space have to face them head-on. This can leave them with frostbite, snapped stems, root damage and fungal diseases. They can also be sun-starved. So help them out!

See also: Winter gardening tips – What to do and what to grow

Top Jack products for weather protection

Plant covers:

• All-Weather Plant Cover – Filters sunlight, extends your growing season and keeps out pests. Perfect for fruitful, pesticide-free gardening!
• Sun and Insect Protective Plant Cover – A great shade cloth designed for summer that filters the sun and stops pesky pests.
• The Greenhouse – Keeps plants and soil warm in the winter months. Comes with handy vents for easy access!
• Frost and Wind Protective Plant Cover – If it’s wind or frost protection you need, this product has you covered, literally!

Bird protection

From eating and pecking tender shoots, seeds and leaves to biting into those delicious plump tomatoes and berries, our feathered friends can be foes when it comes to our fruiting plants and vegie gardens.

Birds can even dig up your root vegies, such as carrots, beets and potatoes, scratching in the soil to dislodge them and disturbing the roots in the process. Plus, they can spread weed seeds that stick on their feet and feathers.

Worst offenders: cockatoos, galahs, magpies, crows, pigeons and noisy minors.

Top Jack products for bird protection:

• Bobble Head Owl – Scare birds away with this fake natural predator! Its reflective eyes and bobbing head make it come alive in the wind.
• Reflective Shapes – Hang from branches or close to your vegie garden. As they spin in the wind, the flickering light will send birds flapping!
• Pest Spikes – Stainless Steel – Pop these on your fence to make your backyard as unfriendly as you can for troublesome birds.
• Bird Netting – This is the perfect budget-friendly feathered vermin barrier when used to cover or cage your growing vegies, fruits and herbs.
• Plant Covers
  • Pest protect – A netted cover that keeps birds away but allows sun and rain to get through to keep your edibles happy and growing,
  • All-Weather Plant Cover – Not just protection from the weather, this handy cover stops pecking beaks with its net top and PVC lower half.
  • Sun and Insect Protective Plant Cover – Cover two problems with one product! The dual protection mesh is a natural bird blocker.
  • The Greenhouse – A cute and effective mini clear PVC home you can pop over your growing kitchen garden to block birds.

See also: How to use bird spikes (to stop the poop and protect your property!)

Rodent and pest protection

Rodents, insects and other pests can be a big problem for your tasty vegie garden if you don’t have the right protection in place, even in raised beds.

From chewing through plants and stems to nibbling and munching on seeds, fruits and veggies, digging up edibles in the ground, sucking sap, spreading diseases and causing mould, they’ll treat your vegie patch as a free for all!

Worst rodent offenders: rats, mice, possums, bandicoots, bats

Worst pest offenders: slugs and snails, caterpillars, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites

Top Jack products for rodent and pest protection:

• Plant Covers
  • All-Weather Plant Cover – Stop those rats, mice, slugs and snails with this dual-purpose cover made from mesh and PVC.
  • Sun and Insect Protective Plant Cover – If insects are your issue, this product has mesh sides to keep pests out while allowing airflow.
  • The Greenhouse – Pop one of these over a pot of vegies, and no scurrying, crawling or flying pests will get them!
• Animal Netting – See spec sheet

Pet protection

As much as we love our pets, when they’re let out in the backyard, your lovingly planted vegetable garden can be in trouble!

Dogs love to dig, trample on and even chew on vegie patches. Cats also like to dig and can cause annoying damage. Both can also pee and poop in the dirt—not near the edibles, please! Yuck.

Chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets are also big nibblers and chewers if left free-range.

Top Jack products for pet protection:

• Dog Mesh – Made from galvanised soft wire, this graduated mesh creates the perfect vegies garden barrier for non-aggressive dogs.
• Animal Netting – Get your DIY on by building net enclosures to house your small pets. They can enjoy the grass without eating the vegies!
• A75 Project Mesh – Construct a strong fence around your vegie garden or divide your backyard with dogs on one side and edibles on the other.

See also: Pet mesh: Keep your critters safe and your garden intact

Fencing FAQs: Become a garden barrier pro

Protect your growing garden with versatile crop cages

Ward off pests and weather with plant protection

Bushfires, particularly in summer, can pose a massive threat to your property and outdoor spaces, and this includes your vegie gardens or planters.

Sure, your vegies, fruits and herbs won’t be at the top of your list for saving if you’re at risk—here at Jack, we always put your family’s and pets safety first—but keeping them protected so you don’t lose your tasty harvest will be a happy by-product.

Top Jack products for bushfire protection:

• Ember Mesh Stainless Steel Guard – Great for covering openings and gutters. This guard stops embers and complies with Standard AS3959-2009/2011.
• Gutter Bristles – See Fire Retardant – These spiky bad boys are tested by CSIRO and have a flammability index of 0. They’re also super easy to install.
• StayMesh Ultra Strip – See StayMesh Ultra Aluminium Strip – The fastest and easiest way to keep fire-starting debris out of your gutter. No tools required!

See also: How to use Ember Mesh to fireproof your home

Best gutter guard protection: leaf your worries behind!

How to pick the right gutter protection

There are certainly lots of things out to damage, eat or undo all that hard work you’ve put into planting your vegie patch or kitchen garden.

But by using the right Jack protection, you can keep your outdoor plant pantry safe so you can enjoy delicious, homegrown goods, from colourful fruits to leafy greens and herbs, all year round!

So, what are you waiting for, green-fingered friend? Head to your nearest local supplier to grab your Jack garden covers and plant protection products today!

Got your protection guarding your vegies? Why not take some snaps and share them on socials, tagging @meetdiyjack? You might just get some love and a share!