Siege of the Catterpillars

These little feckers hatched in their hundreds on the outdoor purple sprouting brocolli.

Before I noticed them several leaves were reduced to skeletal remains and I wondered if the plants were doomed. On a large scale pesticides would be the only option, but on a 'family of four scale' the remedy is a little more down to earth! Pick 'em off by hand and chuck 'em over the hedge. Unfortunately the chickens seemed uninterested in them!

A couple of weeks on, the brocolli plants are still thriving after the knock back. A few of the caterpillars managed to bridge the gap onto the dwarf curley kale which took a beating but new leaves have grown ready to harvest again. This is a great little overwintering plant being a 'cut and come again'. As long as you leave at least one third of the leaves on each plant they will keep growing more. Delicious chopped small, boiled and mixed with mashed potato.

Comments

[FactoBrunt]

I had the same problem last year. These are the caterpillars of the Large White (or Cabbage White) Butterfly (or Buggerfly). This year I've used butterfly netting and the little buggers couldn't get in :)

[Richard]

Yep - Large White Butterfly.
Our savoy cabbages have just about recovered now the colder weather has arrived.

[Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage]

At least there were only four and it was an easy round up. I appreciate the growing tips you gave regarding the kale. I'm going to remember that for my winter garden, as I try to grow produce year-round here. Thank you!

[Maddy]

Ewwwwww hairy little blighters aren't they!

[melanie]

At the farm we were at in Omagh they had a ton of caterpillars that the Mister had to pick off and drown in a bucket. The amount of baby ones on the underside of the leafs were incredible and he missed most of them the first time through. I hope your kale continues to thrive. :)

[Melanie Rimmer]

Fabulous caterpillar harvest. You mean you aren't going to pickle them? That's a valuable protein source in the lean winter months ;-)

[Moonwaves]

Jaysus! They're not little feckers - they're huge big giant ones! At least you've saved your broccoli for the moment.

[Ellen]

They are a bit like that old wolf in sheep's clothing aren't they? So beautiful to look at (and they're only trying to eat) but not beautiful for your harvest. I remember seeing a beautiful pale yellow butterfly flittering around my broccoli and thought nothing of it. Until I read about bad bugs and found big fat ol' green caterpillars munching on my broccoli.

[Rebecca (author of Sallygardens)]

Thats hilarious, I hadn't thought of pickling these 'big' feckers!

[marie]

Having taken the time to evict them, I hope that they did not crawl back later!

Marie x

[Helen]

Love your blog. I live in South-East Qld. Australia having emigrated back in 1969 from Kent, UK.
An elderly farmer we met up with several years back had an organic market garden. He told my son to go and pick me a big bag of broccoli but to be careful of the stinging nettles. He had a row of nettles growing between every couple of rows of broccoli and the broccoli was just perfect-not even a tiny hole or bug of any kind on it. Not sure whether the nettles were a deterrent or a trap crop but it worked.

[Helen]

Forgot to say before that nettles are great in compost and young ones are good cooked like spinach or in soups. Supposed to have heaps of iron in them. Great also as a rinse for hair. I grow them and they aren't hard to keep under control and to think I hated them as a kid.

[Claudia]

Oh, I know those buggers they suddenly appeared and chomped through our lovely nasturciums. The ducks weren't interested in them initially but at some point they must have gotten hungry and got rid of them all
Did you have any tiny light green caterpillars on your gooseberries? ours are bare now!

[ugg caspia]

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