Protecting Brassicas

Beverley14

I grew Brussels sprouts last year and had quite a reasonable harvest but had a real problem with the cabbage white butterflies and caterpillars! Can anyone advise when to erect netting, how long do you keep them protected and how high!

Thanks in advance

ColinA

I put netting over all Brassicas when they are planted out to stop pigeons, this year I bought a 50Mtr roll of scaffold netting off Amazon which is much finer to stop the butterflies laying their eggs. I have used this type of insect proof netting successfully for the last few years to completely stop carrot fly.

Beverley14

Thanks for the reply. How long do you keep in netting over your brassicas?

Singing Gardener

I took mine down at the end of September a couple of years ago and still got a caterpillar infestation so now I just leave it on. It also protects against pigeons.

Allotment Boy

I grow my brassicas in a large netted cage, its a days work to take down, move  & re-erect but I find it worth it I can walk in & work/ pick crop  as I want.

Beverley14

What's your cage frame made of?

Singing Gardener

I think @Allotment Boy probably has a better system than I do. I use a combination of popadomes and cages from Harrod Horticultural. They're quite expensive but easy to assemble and to access.

Allotment Boy

Mine is wooden posts with metpost spikes and wooden battens in between. It is a fiddle but was a lot cheaper than a metal cage. Netting came from Knowle nets buy it by the metere.

ColinA

Hi Beverley14
I leave netting on all brassicas until they are harvested to stop the pigeons

Beverley14

Thanks everyone for your ideas and suggestions, it has given me a wealth of ideas just hope I can put it in place.