Pest Watch – Hordes of Caterpillars

Its official Caterpillars have taken over my cabbage plot.

The Cabbage White butterfly lays the yellow larvae on the underside of cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and any other large strong leaves in June. 14 days later in July, caterpillars emerge ready for breakfast and see some lovely green crunchy leaves on your cabbages.

This is what happens next….

Lots of holes in my cabbage leaves!

I’m sure I’m not the only one having these issues with cabbage white butterflies and caterpillars so this is what I have done to minimize the destruction.

1. Pulled out all the mature cabbages with hordes of caterpillars on them that cannot be saved,
2. Shake the rest of the cabbages and leaves (one by one) that are staying put and check underneath the leaves for fallen caterpillars,
3. Use gloves and squish the caterpillars or if you’re a bit squeamish just pick them up on a trowel and dispose of them,
4. Use the jet on the hose to water straight down in the centre of the cabbage to throw off any more caterpillars missed before,
5. Check the underside of the leaves for yellow eggs (larvae) and remove the leaves or the eggs and dispose of,
6. Finally put netting over the top of all your cabbages making sure that the cabbage leaves are not touching the netting (use canes to support netting) to prevent anymore butterflies from landing on your cabbages.
7. You’re not out of the wars yet, keep checking on the leaves of the plants for caterpillars otherwise they will continue to eat your remaining cabbages under the netting.

So if you think you have a caterpillar pest problem – check your plots for the following:-

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• Pest Watch – Hordes of Caterpillars

Sowing, Harvesting & Big Plot Update 18.07.08

Today I Will Mostly Be Sowing:

• Dwarf Beans – ‘borlotto’,
• Broad Beans – ‘the sutton’,
• Peas – ‘ambassador’,
• Pak Choi – ‘riko white’.

Today I Will Mostly Be Harvesting:

• New Potato’s – ‘lady christl’ and ‘charlotte’,
• Cabbage – ’spring hero’ and ‘advantage’,
• Dwarf Beans – ‘borlotto’,
• Dwarf Beans – ‘ferrari’,
• Lettuce – ‘balmoral’ leaves,

Vegetables in Progress

• Tomato’s – ‘Green Zebra’,



• Cucumber’s – ‘Marketmore’,



• Broccoli ‘tenderstem’,

Plot Progress – Week 23

Plot 1
Carrots, red spring onion and beetroot are growing stronger from sowings made on 1st June 2008. Runner beans are slowly wrapping themselves around the canes. Parsnip foliage is going wild. Sowed Pak Choi into the gaps.

Plot 2
Tenderstem Broccoli nearly ready to pick, cabbage resolution savoy and golden acre are growing well after transplanting, still a few sacrificial cabbages of ‘advantage’ variety to attract the cabbage white butterflies to lay their eggs on (and not on my newly transplanted ones – seems to be working so far).

Plot 3
Broad Beans and Mange tout removed after harvesting. New sowings of peas, broad beans and dwarf beans under cloche (mainly due to cats digging bare soil). 2 x butternut squash plants doing well after transplant. Brussels sprout plants wedged in between dwarf beans but are growing steady.

Tomato and Cucumbers (outdoors)
Tomato’s have been tied to the canes and pots placed into upside down propagator lids. This has helped as this fence is a sun trap and dries the plants out daily, I pour water into the lids so the plant takes the water from its roots when necessary and doesn’t dry out. All tomato plants are flowering and some are fruiting. Cucumbers are rambling over the decking and are producing flowers and fruit.

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This post has now moved to my new site iGrowVeg.com.
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• Sowing, Harvesting & Big Plot Update 18.07.08

The Eden Project and an evening with Bill Bailey

Last week for an early 30th birthday present my boyfriend and I visited The Eden Project and then saw Bill Bailey (comedian) live at The Eden Project in the evening. It was brilliant, even the sun shined for most of the day and Bill Bailey was as ever hilariously funny.

Its the first time I have been to The Eden Project and I was stunned by its size, scale and beauty. The main attractions are the 2 biomes, one is the Tropical Rainforest and when they say tropical temperatures they mean it! it was very hot and humid inside as we walked through the giant banana trees and waterfalls, it was brilliant and the second biome was the Mediterranean climate of UK, Europe, California and South Western Australia concentrating on the arid and drought loving plants.

Other exhibits include the worldwide vegetable garden and allotment which put my beetroot to shame, some fabulous sculptures, educational centre, Monster of Waste, sweetpea garden, plant and gift shop.

I highly recommend visiting The Eden Project as it is superb what they have done to transform an old clay quarry into a highly acclaimed ecological tourist attraction.

11.07.08

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This post has now moved to my new site iGrowVeg.com.
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• The Eden Project and an evening with Bill Bailey

Week 20 – 29.06.08 Plot Update Report

Its been a busy few weeks with revising for my RHS Horticulture exam which I took on the 26th June and after getting lost driving around Chelmsford for an hour I finally made it to Writtle College to sit my exam and it was ok, fingers crossed for the results out in Aug/Sept.

As for the vegetable plot everything’s producing very well.

First up is my very first Dwarf Borlotto Bean:

Butternut Squash’s (Hawk F1) which I thought was never going to emerge from the soil in their pots, two eventually did and have now been planted out in to Plot 3 and are growing on well.

My Runner beans have finally made it through the soil on my second sowing away from the slugs in Plot 1:

My Tenderstem Broccoli is flowering – all very pretty but not good for eating it will be very stringy now so onto the compost heap.

Finally in my opinion the most understated vegetable I have grown this year is the humble Mange Tout. They have produced more pods than my peas and just keep on producing them. Also they do not cook up slimy like the supermarket ones either, they are crunchy or tender (depending on how you like them) and a lovely accompaniment to broad beans.

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This post has now moved to my new site iGrowVeg.com.
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• Week 20 Plot Update Report 29.06.08