[Zinnia]

Had great sprout plants on my allotment, been there this morning and to my horror, caterpillars are stripping the leaves.  Have been spraying with homemade garlic mixture. All plants are covered with fleece.

Help - anyone got any homemade remedies, otherwise its going to be a squashing session!!!!!

[mumofstig]

Get squashing,  home made remedies are not legal so we don't like to discuss them on the Forum 

[Kirpi]

For future reference, put insect proof netting on your brassicas with space between the outer leaves and the net so the Cabbage White butterfly can't lay eggs through the netting and grow Nasturtiums near your cabbages and they will lay eggs on that and caterpillars will be happy to munch on that instead of your greens.

May I take this moment to remind gardeners that it is only the Cabbage White that is a problem to gardeners and not any butterfly or caterpillar.  I have black wooly caterpillars munching on Stinging Nettles on my plot and they will hatch into either Painted Lady, Red Admiral or Peacock butterflies - all are beautiful, useful pollinators and not harmful to veggies. They are all becoming increasingly rare with more and more insectides and herbicides being used and their habitiats being destroyed. There is always a wild patch on my plot just for wildlife so they can help me in the garden.

[mumofstig]

There are large and small varieties of cabbage white butterflies and the smaller cabbage moth which is why you need netting with small holes to protect from all three 

[Raven50]

We planted out 70-odd cauliflowers of two varieties, the vast majority under a netting cage with our cabbages. Every single one bolted, apart from a half-dozen spares that I stuck in an old leek-bed as I couldn't find anywhere else to put them... I have been coddling these caulis for weeks, waiting for them to get big enough to make a meal for two, so imagine my horror when I went down to the allotment and they were covered in bright green caterpillars I squished as many as my stomach could stand, and took two of them home to eat yesterday and today, but the rest might not make it...
 Isn't growing you own a wonderful thing

[DD.]

I squished as many as my stomach could stand, and took two of them home to eat yesterday and today, but the rest might not make it...

You did what? 

[m1ckz]

wow now thats an idea   but what do they taste like      better than the caulis    ill get a better crop than my caulis,,,how do u cook them     stir fry ??

[angelavdavis]

wow now thats an idea   but what do they taste like      better than the caulis    ill get a better crop than my caulis,,,how do u cook them     stir fry ??

they must taste nasty as even my chooks won't eat them!  If you squash them, they smell evil so I don't fancy tasting them