Protect your cabbages as this is the season when dozens of pests take to the wing, intent on making a feast of your brassicas. If you don't like to spray against pests, it can be difficult to keep on top of them, and though you can patrol your crops daily squishing offending caterpillars, mealybugs and aphids you may not catch all the culprits.
Much better to prevent the little critters reaching your crops in the first place. Act now to cover your newly-planted brassica seedlings with horticultural fleece or closely-woven insect-proof mesh – you'll find it on sale here in our garden centre at Hereford. As well as fending off flying insects, it keeps out bigger flying pests too – so you'll find pigeons and other birds leave your brassica bed alone (it's also kinder than netting, as birds can't get tangled in it).
Hold the mesh clear of the leaves with wire cloche hoops: our easy-to-use fleece tunnels simply concertina out over your crops. Then weight it down at the edges with bricks or tent pegs to make sure no bugs sneak underneath. Make sure every gap is tightly closed and you'll keep pests on the outside, and your crops damage-free.
