Best netting/cover?

I'm basically looking for the best netting or coverings you can recommend for onions and strawberries and the like?

lots of cheapo options - want to get the right one for the right job

any tips of coverings greatly appreciated

 

As John says enviromesh fine will keep just about any pests off. It isn't cheap but is long lasting and does the job very well. If you are not bothered about the smaller pests like greenfly or carrot fly then the cheaper wider meshed nets will do the job.
Whatever netting you use it is best to keep it supported away from the plants as butterflies will just sit on it and get their ovipositors onto the leaves if given half a chance!

 

For strawberries I avoid the plastic 'strawberry netting' that looks like this because toads get tangled up in it (got loads of them):



I use this stuff which is more rigid, has smaller mesh and doesn't fight to get back into the shape it was when it came out the box:

 

I use scaffolders Debris netting for anything other than very small insects (e.g. carrot fly). It will keep Cabbage white butterfly out, is very cheap - scaffolders usually chuck it after each job, so you may even be able to blag it from a building site.

Get the black one, the Turquoise and Green ones look OK in the pictures, but are really rather harsh for a Veg Patch!

Go for the 3M width - that will cover a 4' wide bed to about waist-height

I got mine from Tarpaflex.

 

Tarpaflex's prices seem very keen, even cheaper than e-Bay. I've always bought my mesh at the end of the season at wilkos when reduced by 50%, but comparing the two it's only marginally cheaper even then:



My only concerns regarding debris netting are it's weight, as it would appear that supports are essential, whereas lighter stuff can be just thrown over the plants, and reduction of light - "50% density" is quoted on the Tarpaflex site, making me wonder whether it's (especially black) going to slow down ripening (might be useful for slowing down bolting of lettuces?). I've got some light green debris netting somewhere - might check how it affects the exposure reading on a camera compared with some woven green polypropylene shading material.