[bigben]

I have built myself a brassica cage after my attempts at growing sprouts and cabbage became pigeon food last year.  Problem is I also want to grow  a couple of types of kale this year and just realised they are the same family - will they get munched by the pigeons as well? My cage will just about fit a few sprouts and about 20 cabbages but not much else. I have not actually sown the kale yet.

[Beetroot queen]

I net mine until they are big and sturdy enough to withstand the pigeons attacking them, and by the time they are big enough the net comes off and the caterpillars start war on them 

One year I will get some kale to myself

[galen]

I found last year that my Kale never got touched by butterflies / catterpillers and the pigeons only got to them after the snow down here in January after we'd already had a great crop. The PSB got devestated by the pigeons then but it's now growing great guns (although a bit late...)

[Rampant_Weasel]

netted mine and whitefly and mealybugs got it, looks like ill have to admit defeat and get some spray this year 

[Beetroot queen]

I sprayed many times against whitefly and it didnt make any difference at all, I just hope this year I dont get quite so many 

[Rangerkris]

Mine were covered last year and they are still in the ground looking sorry for them self, i  might even pull them up today.

[lucywil]

i dont usually net it and it seems the pigeons will only eat it as a last resort if they cant get anything else

[Elcie]

I didn't net mine and they were fine.  Still are actually!  Still picking but they are starting to get a bit 'tall' so will be finishing them off over the next week or two.  Chickens love it.

[madcat]

i dont usually net it and it seems the pigeons will only eat it as a last resort if they cant get anything else

I found the same.  I lost it in the snow - but the pigeons were getting pretty desperate for anything green by then.  They had already eaten the cabbages, sprouts, PSB etc after the weight of snow had collapsed the cage so they could peck through the mesh.   

[kermit]

My red russian kale was devastated by caterpillars last summer.  No pigeon attack though.

[tosca100]

Netted mine while young, till the butterflies disappeared. They were very slow during this awful winter but woody left them alone and am now eating lovely Kale as they have suddenly got going. Woody is in the garden but still leaving it alone.