Where there is food supply for their young, they will most definitely lay their eggs. And bam! Cabbage “moth” larvae. I say moth in quotation marks because the worms shown above are actually the caterpillars of the Small White Butterfly: Pieris Rapae.  It’s also called the imported cabbage worm because it was accidentally introduced to North America.  I am absolutely sure this was the main invader of my cabbages and that it’s this particular species because I have seen this little white butterfly visiting on several occasions.

This invader not only goes for cabbages but will also attack vegetables in the same family (mustard family) which would include broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, and cauliflower. I also found what I believe to be cabbage loopers  (Trichoplusia ni) pictured above, left. But I can’t be completely sure because I never actually saw the moth, most likely because the eggs were laid at night, moths being nocturnal.  I’d never seen the inch worm looking type before, but realized that I’d better take action before I loose all of my spring veggies for sure. Last year I had to throw my cabbages away and I wanted to prevent it from happening again.

 I’m happy to say, “I figured out cabbage moth control.”

Now, let me show you how my garden looks right now {I took this picture on the 19th}. I’m so happy with it! 

I only lost one cabbage. I can start harvesting several things now and use them in our meals such as my onions and kale. I’m most happy about the broccoli, kale and saving all but one of my cabbages.

Steps for Cabbage Moth Control

1. I planted the starts earlier…

…around April 9th and I also started them as small plants from the garden store instead of from seed. My seeds did fine last year, but took way too long without a green house. From now on I have decided to start small plants in early April (cool weather only). I can always cover for a major frost. Here’s how they looked after being planted.

2. I removed the worms I found immediately and checked them daily.

This is the best action to take for organic gardeners. If you can catch them before they hatch, that’s even better! Unfortunately, they’re hard to see because they are excellently camouflaged. Wash and check each plant’s leaves up close when watering daily.

3. I noticed they prefer green cabbage.

Next year I plan to plant only red cabbages. They seem more resistant than the green variety. Just an observation I have made from watching.

4. Find a good organic spray.

I hate to do this, even if it says organic, but it was necessary. And I feel like the one time spray may be enough as well to prevent further eggs being laid. I found Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew Concentrate from a store I trust and that I know cares about gardening. It worked very well and I am so happy to say I only lost one cabbage and the others are now thriving! This was something I did reluctantly but am very glad I did.

You’ll find me writing about gardening in a few other places online: Gardening with Children on The Laundry Moms and…

 Hip Homeschool Moms on Starting a Homeschool Garden:

or check out my FREE Garden Notebook Pages:

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Organic Garden Pest Control

One down side of organic gardening is pest invasion. I have found the best organic solution is regular maintenance of plants. When you see things starting, take action. Most of the time I have to remove critters manually- just take them off and get rid of them. I do this a lot when I water and use the hose to “wash” them off the plants. This is not a lasting solution in the same way insecticides are so you have to remove problems daily. I’ve noticed I usually only have issues that get out of control when I let it go for several days without maintenance. You can also make a solution of dish soap and water which can be a bit more helpful and doesn’t harm anything you will eat or the plants themselves.

Common Garden Pests

A few of the problems I see regularly are…

• aphids on my roses
• cabbage moths in late spring on my cabbage and cabbage family crops
• black swallowtail caterpillars on parsley family
• squash bugs in late summer on squash
• rabbits and birds that help themselves to goodies throughout the year

So far this year my biggest pest problem has been rabbits. As much as I love them, I can’t let them eat all my cabbage. So I put a barrier around the garden. I used poles and a plastic mesh. It did work! The downside is accessing it for maintenance, but it’s a good temporary solution for a temporary garden. (As a military family, we move a lot. So I have to do something simple with my rental.)

Natures Pest Solutions

Pests stay away from onions and marigolds. So I plant them everywhere. I plant onions in my flower beds and I plant marigolds in my vegetable boxes. It’s not the solution to everything. But it’s something to try. The other natural pest control I can think of right off  are ladybugs. They will eat aphids and other bad bugs. You can buy them and introduce them into your garden, but due to moving all the time I have not tried that. I do see several naturally, and when I do that is encouraging to me.

Food for the Organic Garden

I make my own soil mix. Usually  2 parts compost with manure, 1 part peat moss. Then I add a little vermiculite. Adding compost at any time is great so I add when I think it’s needed. I also feed my garden with bone or blood meal after harvesting something and before planting something new. This helps replenish the nutrients. You can read more about preparing soil. 

What works for you in your garden? Please do share!

You may also want to check out:  10 Days of Planning a Summer Garden

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As we harvest our squares we are planting new crops being sure to plant something different in each square for crop rotation. We are also adding more soil mix and a dash blood and bone meal to replenish the soil.

My box #1

Lots of the lettuce plus cabbages, beets, onion, peas, and broccoli.

My Box #2:
A few seeds we planted are slow to mature. I want to plant radishes in those boxes since they will work fine together and the radish will be harvested quickly and before the small seedlings will get big. Moral of the story…buy eggplant, tomatillos, and  peppers as transplant. Seeds outdoors are slow going and we may run out of time before they can be harvested. But we will see.

A few beauties to highlight for Collage Friday.

The post Successful Summer Garden 2013 appeared first on Dymphna's Song.