Netting brassicas

[Containergardener]

Yet another question

How soon do I need to do this, as soon as planted out? Mine are only teeny tiny yet out on the decking, but I did notice a white flapping around the garden the other day.
Am I ok to put everyone together under it or separately. Will fleece do for early on?

I'm growing..dwarf kale, Brussels, PSB in large containers. I don't have a cage so may need OH making something.(unless advised cage is better)
Thanks

[SusieG]

Morning CG!
Don't know what the experts do, but I covered mine as soon as I'd planted out and found that they (cabbages, psb) were unaffected by the dreaded white flapping thingies!!!
I used enviro mesh - simply using canes at each corner and middle of beds, to support it and 'pegged down' at the bottom.

[Bigmallly]

Protect them asap CG. Flutterbies, snugs & slails don't give a damn how small or large they are.

[Scarlet]

Yes, asap. There's nothing worse than boiled caterpillars

[Containergardener]

***off to don protective armour***

[Bren In Pots]

Here's an older thread about making brassica cages you might find it useful for ideas.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...nts_77507.html

[Martin H]

Last year I was squishing butterfly eggs while the plants were hardening off on the table outside my kitchen door. So you can't start netting them too soon!

[jonny the plant pot]

All mine are hiding under these netted frames were they will stay till I eat them

[Martin H]

Here's my brussels when I planted them out last week...

[1Bee]

I'm only saying this because I know we're in similar climes, and because I can cope with the bruises when I get shot down...

I'm currently getting a lovely harvest from 4 PSB plants which were never netted. I did a lot of picking and squashing, but was only really busy with that for a couple of weeks, and at that stage I was only able to get to the plot 2 or three times a week. I'm certain the birds (our half plot is surrounded on 2 sides by hedges) were picking them off, as some I'd seen had disappeared by the time I was able to do some squishing.

No-one on our site nets their Brassicas.

All that said, I will be creating a tunnel-type net frame like Martin's this year!

[Dorothy rouse]

I did net mine! Not well enough! So many caterpillars in the end, I just couldn't use the veg! Really didn't fancy caterpillar stew!

[Muddy_Boots]

I'm not a cheapskate but .....

Mine are under netting from the 99p store, as I've said on previous threads I use 4 of them and stick them together using a hot glue gun to make a large net, the glue won't dissolve so stays good for the life of the net. The one on the plot is now in its 3rd year and is fine enough to stop the white fluttery things from laying eggs on them.

I raise the netting by having cheap wood from B&Q with sawn points on which I hammer into the soil and put plastic pop bottles on the top ends to they don't cut the netting, I raise the middle with garden canes with a plastic pop bottle on the top end to stop them tearing the net. The ends are either pinned into the soil with metal pins from my wilko cloches or just help down with an old house bricks.

I'll take a pic when I can to show what it looks like but hasn't cost me more than a tenner to cover all my brassicas over the last 3 years.

[Bigmallly]

Sounds very similar to Martins set up MB...............