Does size matter in the garden?

That caught your eye, didn't it.
I've been wondering whether its more productive to grow fruit and veg in a small space that can be cared for/protected easily  or in a larger space that cannot be.
For example, is it better to grow one small cherry tree that can be netted against birds or several larger ones that can't.
Or a couple of brassicas that you can watch over and net or rows of them that may be predated by birds. 
Would you prefer two decent cabbages or 20 holey ones ? 
A currant bush that is netted from birds or 6 bushes that aren't?

I think you can see where I'm going with this. Is small beautiful?

I've had no success with big is beautiful so I now resort to protecting that which gets attacked as best I can. I've yet to find a barrier against blackfly

I think most gardeners would like the opportunity to use a large space. So a lot depends on what you have and also what pests are in the area. Squirrels are an abominable pest and will steal all the cherries off a tree whether netted or not, likewise strawberries.

This year I've netted a smallish(?) area of brassicas to keep off butterflies and pigeons, about 10'x12'. we've had broccoli a few times already from it and there is quite a bit more coming. There are quite a few summer cabbage hearting up and we have already had a sweetheart one (half still in fridge). Kale, caulis and winter cabbage still to come. Not sure about the brussels are they seem to have been damaged by meally aphids. Some plants look to be damaged by cabbage fly as well. All in all should be able to have brassica of one type or other a couple of times a week till Christmas may be.

This year also I've planted a lot more potatoes (just treated them with slug nematodes) just in case the food shortage comes closer to home. I've dug up 16kg of earlies and was thinking of harvesting some 2nd earlies as they could start splitting with the recent rain. If you want a lot of something, you can't think too small.

The trigger for this was the fruit bushes - in particular the redcurrants and jostaberries. Every time I walk past them a flock of blackbirds fly out and I doubt that I'll be able to pick any of these because they'll all be pinched. I've tried netting the patch in years past, but, invariably, a bird would get caught in the netting, or they'd walk under it as the ground is too uneven to peg the netting down.
This started me thinking of moving a couple of plants to a small area where I could keep them secure-ish because any crop would be better than nothing.

I’ve started using my raised beds where I can net successfully my strawberries, blueberries, & brassicas, for my raspberries I threw 2 very large nets over my hedge which is about 20ft long, I left a few canes unnetted for the blackbirds and thrushes and this seems to be working out ok. I’m definitely moving to smaller plots for better control. My onions are in a small area sectioned off with a few boarded that I was able to net when I put the sets in and now it’s easier to weed them. The only large area I will have are the raspberry hedge and section of the garden for potatoes.

I've got a bit of both! Big garden and no birds eating my crops - that's what seven cats do for you

I've got a bit of both! Big garden and no birds eating my crops - that's what seven cats do for you

I think I would prefer the birds to the cats, except may be for the wood pigeons.

I've got a bit of both! Big garden and no birds eating my crops - that's what seven cats do for you

Seven cats......heaven. As a kid in the Far East we had 37 at one stage, not all indoor thank goodness. Meal times was like feeding large carp in a small pool. I would dearly love a cat but P's not keen.

Even so I don't think one cat will protect my teeny tiny tayberry or cherry tree.

I don't mind sharing my produce with the wildlife, as long as I am left with enough for myself . Sometimes irreparable damage can be done to crops though so I always have netting to hand as a last resort.

I like to grow a bit of everyything so size does matter as I wouldn't have space in a smaller area to do that!

Perhaps me question should have been - do you want quantity or quality? but that's not right either............