Even though I had protected the crop with fleece there was some pest damage evident. When checking it became evident that this wasn’t damage from Cabbage White butterfly or slugs.  This damage was being caused by a lesser known, and equally destructive brassica pest, the Cabbage Moth caterpillar. I had to delay planting due to the hot weather, which is where the problem occurred. It appears that the moths laid their eggs on the leaves whilst the plants were still in the greenhouse. After being planted out they then had the protection of the fleece to flourish!

The cauliflowers usually attract more pests than other brassicas and are the worst affected. Fortunately there has only been some sporadic damage my other brassicas, including the brussels sprout.  Cabbage moth caterpillars are olive brown in colour and tend to congregate on the backs of leaves or near the growing points.  They will eat it away completely, and for this reason I think that for this year’s harvest the yield from the cauliflowers will be poor.