[BML]

Is it possible to protect cabbages against caterpillars with a spray or dust?

[Mel]

May I suggest to use fine netting all the time,stops the butterflies getting it and mine are caterpillar free,and it is much better than using sprays-I like to keep it organic here

[robert waddell]

either squash them or spray with soapy water

[Plantoid]

May I suggest to use fine netting all the time,stops the butterflies getting it and mine are caterpillar free,and it is much better than using sprays-I like to keep it organic here

 leghorn,
Do you use the mesh as sold by the big seedsmen which seems to me a very expensive way of doing things or do you have a different source?

 I got 19 mm mesh nets of ebay and the sodding butterflys just walk through the mesh but it was better than the previous year when all I had left was skeletons for mearly  all my cabbages etc. because I tried picking off the caterpillars. ( I came out tops with the dark dwarf curly kale though as the cabbage whites didn't seem to like them )

[Skirza]

We used pond netting, 2 metres wide and only a couple of quid a metre from the garden centre. We managed to build a cage 30ft long x 9ft wide x 6ft high for under £50

[Cinderhills]

I was in my veg garden yesterday admiring my brussels when to my horror they were covered in caterpillars.  There was no sign of them two days.  I'm now obsessed with picking them off and watching my chickens devour them.  I thought I was doing so well, but on the bright side they are a lot more advanced than last year and hopefully I am now on top of the carnage before there would nothing left of the plant.  I will get my soapy water spray too.  Good advice.  Thanks.

[Rumpleteazer]

I'm now obsessed with picking them off and watching my chickens devour them.

My chickens refuse to eat them!

[Mel]

May I suggest to use fine netting all the time,stops the butterflies getting it and mine are caterpillar free,and it is much better than using sprays-I like to keep it organic here

 leghorn,
Do you use the mesh as sold by the big seedsmen which seems to me a very expensive way of doing things or do you have a different source?

 I got 19 mm mesh nets of ebay and the sodding butterflys just walk through the mesh but it was better than the previous year when all I had left was skeletons for mearly  all my cabbages etc. because I tried picking off the caterpillars. ( I came out tops with the dark dwarf curly kale though as the cabbage whites didn't seem to like them )

-Sorry for the late reply! I have purchased the netting off of ebay seller EDL netting,it seems the best quality although does have a row of holes down the centre-which with some garden string I have hand stitched up easily and quickly enough.all other netting seem to be substandard quality-mine is now 2 years of age,I purchased some more this year for extra beds and nothing can get in.The black looks better-I have to say!

You can find them by typing in EDL netting into Google easily enough.I do not know if you see this as cheap or not-but I know it is probably worth it seeing it lasts so long x