[oldcow]

I'm growing some Tsoi Sim (an oriental veggie of the brassica family) in a raised bed, with no netting. I'm thrilled about how quickly it grows, but it's proved to be the ultimate pest magnet: flea beetles, weevils, aphids, slugs, caterpillars, you name it, it got attacked by it big time. The damage is so bad that I don't think I'm going to eat them... All my other brassicas were grown under insect mesh (but I have no more room there). Now, are all brassicas this attractive for pests, in which case I'll give up growing any in this bed? Or am I just unlucky or this type of veggie is particularly susceptible to insect attacks?

[JayG]

I don't know Tsoi Sim but your collection of pests is typical of those affecting the most common brassicas like cabbage and cauliflower.

Some plants don't look much like typical brassicas but nevertheless are; rocket and radish are two which possibly don't suffer quite as much although seeing either of those without flea-beetle damage is rare in my experience. 

[madcat]

Sorry - I cant help as I have to grow under nets to stop the  pigeons getting to them before the caterpillars etc get chance to kill them instead.   Could you put just a couple under your brassica net as a experiment?  Could you squeeze them in after an early cropper or a failed proper resident?

[oldcow]

JayG, I had some rocket next to it that did great until the tsoi sim started to grow, then they both got invaded by the pests. I'll stick to grow under cover, my cabbages and broccoli under net are picture perfect.
I have harvested what I could of the tsoi sim (it tasted really delicious, both the leaves and the long flower stems), and pulled out all the rocket. Sigh.
madcat, I'll try what you suggest! I might pull out some of the slower growing plants to make room for these. They were ready to eat in 4 weeks, and keep producing after you cut the first harvest, and they were really good so I'm not sure that seen my very limited space I should keep things like cauliflowers that take 4 times as long.
If you have problems with pigeons, can I suggest you a mad experiment against pigeons? I was worried about the woodpigeons that nest a few yards from my raised beds. I read on a US forum that fake snakes spook birds; they don't have to be realistic, so I just put a couple of garish plastic ones next to the plants I wanted to protect, and none has been touched by birds. I'd love for more people to try this to see if it's a coincidence or if it really works.

[crh75]

Could you just rig up a simple net? I just put bottles over canes and peg a net over the lot, very easy.

[oldcow]

Thanks for the suggestion, I thought about it but I have tomatoes on one side of the bed, growing against a tall trellis, and some tall peas on another side of the bed. Basically, there is no easy way to get a net on only part of the raised bed (since I use square foot gardening, there is a grid on the bed that it's very good for a lot of other things but it makes hard to net part of the bed). I'll get the hubby to take a look and see if he can come up with one of his usual brilliant ideas...

[madcat]

If you have problems with pigeons, can I suggest you a mad experiment against pigeons? I was worried about the woodpigeons that nest a few yards from my raised beds. I read on a US forum that fake snakes spook birds; they don't have to be realistic, so I just put a couple of garish plastic ones next to the plants I wanted to protect, and none has been touched by birds. I'd love for more people to try this to see if it's a coincidence or if it really works.

I will!  Poundstreacher or the like must have them for the kids ....  if it doesn't work then maybe it will scare the fox.  If all else fails, I'll use 'em for trick or treat at hallowe'en!  But it would be brilliant if it does.