4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Last weekend I cut off all the leaves I could see had caterpillars on them. I went to have a look today and there are just as many again. They are all nice big caterpillars now .

 

It is worth trying to pick them all off or should I just s"Ooops, word censored!" the broccoli altogether? I hadn't appreciated it would take till next Feb or March to harvest .

[Redwing]

Pick them off or spray wiith some washing o liquid mixed with water, that might work

 

Can you net the plants at all?

 

I would imagine however that the worse of the caterpillers are over so its worth hanging on in there

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I had all my raised beds netted until OH said a couple of months ago "you'd better take those nets off now".

 

Not listening to his gardening tips ever again .

 

I'll try both tips, thanks .

[chickencam]

They need to stay netted until all of the cabbage whites have gone for the year usually when the weather turns colder, so around now.

 

If it is your purple prouting they will rally back if you squash any visible caterpillars now but if it calabrese and they have heads forming, I would s"Ooops, word censored!" them because caterpillar brocolli is not nice, the caterpillars go all yellow or grey when cooked and you get a gone off cabbagy taste

[Alis girls]

Gross cooked caterpillars no thanks

[Valkyrie]

Don't fancy the bush tucker trials then? I was told to make a weak solution of garden lime with water in a watering can and to sprinkle brassicas with it. Apparently it sort of disguises the green so that the butterflies ignore them. I didn't put it into practice, so I can't tell if it works, but a couple of allotmenteers recommended it. I have found wasps have helped very well - yes I do have a few holes, but they haven't been reduced to stalks like they have in the past.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've hand-picked every caterpillar I could see . I'll keep checking for loiterers.

 

My broccoli is purple sprouting and although a lot of the leaves are almost skeletal I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a harvest next year .

[Happy chickens!]

Mine usually perks up in the spring - but this year it has already flowered, even thought it was only planted in the spring. Not sure whether to dig it up or not. As I'm lazy will probably leave it and see.

 

As to the netting, you really need fleece or very fine netting to keep butterflies out.

[coco]

My purple sprouting was covered in caterpillars so I pulled it up and fed some to the chooks. Having read this I should have stuck with it. Maybe next year.

[emchook]

My OH cooked our broccoli a la mini caterpillars !

When we saw the results it was binned . It put me off so much that the chooks have had fresh organic broccoli stems for the last couple of months !

 

I didnt realise you had to net it .. !!!!!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My clever purple sprouting broccoli has survived a caterpillar infestation, weeks of heavy snow and an attack by a flock of wood pigeons . I'm so glad I didn't dig them up .

 

[Cinnamon]

Fabulous!

 

I gave up on Brassicas. We just don't get along.....

[Christian]

Looking good ANH

[theherd123]

Brilliant!

 

I gather you like broccoli - a lot!!!

[chickencam]

 

I think that I was one of the people who told you to leave them in, they look great. I love PSB

 

Says she who let hers get eaten by the pigeons this year and has decided that supermarket winter brassicas are the way to go, after 10 years of trying to grow them with some success and a lot of hard work.

[Valkyrie]

Brilliant news!