Growing Cabbage Family Crops
I recently planted one of our favorite members of the cabbage family: broccoli. One of my best friends recommended the variety ‘Early Dividend’, so I decided to see how it grows for us. As I was planted the seedlings, I realized that I should share a few tips with you. Why? Growing cabbage family crops can be tricky due to their insect issues.
Members of this family include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi. As wonderful as each of these veggies is, it’s a sad fact that cabbage family crops are bug magnets.
Common cabbage family crops insect pest
Aphids are attracted to them in droves (ugh) and cabbage worms think the plants’ leaves are absolutely delicious. Cabbage worms are the larvae of cabbage butterflies, in case you were wondering. But there is even another bug that thinks the seedlings are yummy: slugs.
So here is what I do to keep all of these guys away from my plants:
Once the seedlings have been planted, I do two things to address the slug issue. 1) I sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the base of each plant’s stem. This flour-like substance contains tiny, sharp edges that cut into a slug’s skin, causing them to dehydrate and die. 2) I make rings of copper tape. The copper generates a mild electrical current when slug skin comes into contact with it, which repels them.
How do I keep the aphids and cabbage butterflies away? I put hoops over the bed and place either floating row cover or tulle netting over them. It’s important to weight down the row cover or netting so it doesn’t blow off during a windstorm.
None of the cabbage family members needs to be pollinated. This means you can leave the row cover in place all season. And let me tell you, it works GREAT!
You’ll notice in the photo that I have the tulle netting covering the bed this year. I like it for growing cabbage family crops because you can see through it very easily. That way, I can keep an eye on the plants. Because it’s a looser mesh than regular row cover, it provides better air circulation around the plants.
Find organic solutions like these for all types of insects in my Organic Pest Control Guide on this website. Perhaps you stopped growing cabbage family crops because of the insect problems. Now you know how to easily deal with them!