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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Please Help Us Grow Cabbage

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that we have not been successful growing, at all. The small green cabbage worms are the nemesis of our crop every time. I thought when I tried growing some this fall, there might not be any of the moths left to get the worm crop started, but that was not the case. These wonderful little worms appear to be able to grow anytime during the spring, summer or fall here. I was able to pick enough of the worms off of the fall broccoli plants to keep them alive, but not the cabbage.
Really sad, huh?

I have read about floating row covers to protect the plants from the moths, attracting paper wasps, using Bt and picking the worms and feeding them to your chickens. It seems that once the garden gets going in the spring, I get busy and don't keep up with the worms, even though the chickens really enjoy them. I would prefer not to use a floating row cover, as it could provide endless hours of entertainment for our cats to the detriment of the plants. I am a big fan of companion planting, but so far the combinations I have tried have not been effective, or the plants grew at different rates, so the companions weren't large enough to make any difference.

The most common kind of cabbage I have grown to date usually look like this. One of the first posts I did when we started the blog last year was "Don't Grow Cabbage Like This", and this picture was the star of the show. This one actually got off to a fairly good start, but in the end, succumbed to the worms, even with a zinnia growing next door.
 

Frank and I have started trying to eat healthier and consume fewer carbohydrates, so we have added many more vegetables to our daily consumption. I have also revisited my research about lacto-fermented vegetables and purchased a fermenting crock. One of the main vegetables recommended for fermenting is cabbage, which provides another reason for successfully growing our own cabbage instead of consuming what we buy at the store. But, for now, that is all we have access to, so we are purchasing cabbage.

We do like to eat cabbage, we just wish it could be our own.

Another motivation for growing cabbage is how well it will store and keep for longer periods of time than other vegetables. If we were able to master producing cabbage in enough quantities, we could store some for the winter months for fresh eating, keep some in the fermentation crock and can some for soups and other dishes.

So, as you can tell, we need help, and there are probably other folks out there that are frustrated and could use your help, also. Please share your experiences, techniques and advice with us here. All comments are appreciated. And in the process, maybe we can all learn something new.

Until next time - Fern
 

34 comments:

  1. My cabbage doesn't grow well either but I think it's more the soil than worms. I had some large plastic jars I got from Goodwill. The kind that have pretzels or cheese puffs in them. I cut the bottom off and set it over the plant and then put an old nylon or onion bag over the top. It gives a few weeks of worm free growth but eventually they outgrow the containers. it's only a partial fix. I'll be watching for other comments.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Penny. I have seen many different ways to cover each plant like this, I am just hoping I can figure out a way to grow them without having to cover them. Thank you for the comment.

      Fern

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  2. Dear Fern: I'm not the greatest gardener in the world but I make my own spray and spray my cabbages, broccoli and potatoes at a minimum once a week with my homemade spray. You may have already tried something like this but here's my recipe -
    Take an old plastic pitcher with a lid (cause you'll never be able to use it for anything else again) and add -

    2 chopped up onions
    4-6 garlic cloves
    1 Tsp. crushed red pepper or substitute cayenne pepper
    1 Tbs. cheap dish soap
    1 Tbs. canola oil

    Fill with water and let sit for 2 weeks.

    Strain and add enough water back to fill the 2 quart pitcher and spray plants.

    I'm sure you can improve upon this but it's what I've always made and it seems to work.

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    1. I have used something similar to this on two different occasions. One recipe was only the garlic and onions in water and the other was only soap and water. I like the combination you have here. And I bet it would work well on other insect pests besides worms. Like aphids which are currently chewing away on our turnips and kale. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe and experience.

      Fern

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  3. This might work, and may not tempt the cats:
    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/441563938437424080/

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    1. It looks like a sturdy set up. Thank you for sharing the link.

      Fern

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  4. This past year is the first year that I have been able to grow cabbage that the worms didn't eat. I planted early around the middle of April then I layered newspaper and covered with wheat straw. We had huge cabbages this year. Good Luck.

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    1. I wonder how the mulching helped prevent the moths from laying eggs on the cabbage? But I still have lots to learn and it sounds like this is worth trying. And responding to your next comment, it sounds like you may be in zone 7 like us. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  5. Oh forget to say I'm in north Georgia

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  6. We have never been able to grow cabbage, either. I will write down the recipe from the Anon commenter. I am ready to try anything.

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    1. Me too, Tewshooz, me too. I guess in this case I can say it's nice to know I'm not the only one.

      Fern

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  7. I cloche the plants with a large jar or dome from a cake plate until they are too big for it, then cover them with the leg of a nylon stocking. It will stretch to cover, & although there will be a few worms crawling on top of the nylon, they can't get through it to eat the cabbage. Since they are on top, they are easy to pick off. I used to save the good parts of worn out panty hose for this, but since I no longer wear those, I just buy a couple pair of knee highs to use.

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    1. Does the pantyhose squish the leaves together around the center of the plant where the cabbage head grows, Marivene? I know some cabbage plants can get to be two feet across and I'm having a hard time picturing all of that in a knee high. Maybe I'm just not getting something. Thank you for sharing and for providing me with more details.

      Fern

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    2. I just used the hose on the head that formed, & didn't worry about the leaves, but when I picked the worms off the covered heads, I checked the leaves as well. I have never lived where cabbage plants grew that large - mine were never over a foot wide. By the time the plant outgrows the cloche, I could always see the head forming.

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  8. Hello Fern,
    We used to grow fabulous cabbage when we lived further north, but here.....absolute disaster. Every worm possible seemed to congregate on them.

    Two things that helped: We found that red cabbage grew much better than the green. And its nice in slaw as well as cooked (there is a recipe that calls for it to be cooked with onions, bay leaf, cloves and a sour apple). I have also pickled it once, it was a bit strong, but I might do it again and rinse it before heating it up.

    The other thing: diatomaceous earth. It has really helped reduce the chewing insect problem, even kept the slugs back from our strawberries. Neat stuff.

    Best Wishes for a wonderful Christmas

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    1. We recently purchased some diatomaceous earth to use on our cats for fleas. I have read about using it in the garden, and know it has to be reapplied after it gets wet. I will try it this spring on the cabbage.

      I also wonder if wood ashes would have the same effect. You have to be careful with wood ashes because they are very acidic, but maybe they wouldn't have to be replenished as often. Wood ashes would also be a more self-sustaining product, if they work, since I could get them from the wood stove. If I could no longer buy diatomaceous earth, I would be back to square one. Thank you for giving me something to learn and ponder.

      Have a Blessed Christmas,

      Fern

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  9. Got some growing now under the row cover, no big deal, pvc hoops stuck in ground and row cover on top (both pretty cheap) check out Motherofahubbard.com for tutorial (really good)

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    1. Thank you for the link and the row cover ideas, Beth.

      Fern

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  10. I sprinkled the cabbage, after I saw the white cabbage moth, with table salt. I think it was every day for a week. Got the hint from either Mother Earth News or Organic Gardening. I do remember that the cabbage grew well and were small tight heads as they were supposed to be. BTW had to be in the early 70s and they were a fall crop harvested along with Brussel Sprouts.

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    1. That's a different idea, Bellen. I will have to keep it in mind. We have salted slugs before, but I didn't think of using salt with cabbage worms. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  11. Hi folks,

    Use a product called weed guard plus. It can be used to control weeds and its white, so you can drape it over plants for insect control. I also have grown cabbage successfully using tin cans. I get the big coffee sized cans and remove top and bottom . plant is in middle and slugs and worms cant get up can and eat your veggies.

    Merry Christmas!!

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    1. I bet the tins and the newspaper/straw mulch have some of the same effects. Thank you for another good idea.

      Fern

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  12. Use Bt or thuricide every 7-10 days.With cabbage or any coles use a little soap or sticker spreader so that it sticks to the leaves. http://www.shopping.com/thuricide-lowes/products after a few rounds the lfe cycle will be broken and you might not need it as often. good luck

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    1. I have always hesitated to use Bt, but the thought of breaking the life cycle of the worms is very interesting. I hadn't thought of it that way. Thank you very much!

      Fern

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  13. I feel very blessed living in the Willamette Valley area of Oregon. The only little pest I contend with in the garden are slugs early on...a little slug bait then no further problems, and cucumber beetles...those little buggers won't touch a cucumber but can easily decimate beans! Sorry I am of no hlep with cabbage issues. Mine have no enemies.

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    1. It is interesting, Desiree, to see how gardening challenges differ in other locations. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

      Fern

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  14. Hi frank and Fern! I'm in Ohio and we use 7 dust on ours. We also dust our dogs with it for fleas. I after redust the cabbages after rain, but I have big basketball size cabbages each year. I make sure to sprinkle the dirt around the plants as well to help with any eggs in the dirt. Start dusting them when they are small. For aphids a few TBS. of Fels Naptha soap grated into a quart of water and sprayed on kills them, but with more natural things you have to reapply more frequently because they are not full of chemicals to kill things like industrial stuff. good luck!
    Vicky

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    1. Lots of folks around here use Sevin on their gardens for a variety of pests, as well as their dogs. We finally broke down a couple of years ago and used it in the barn where our Pyrenees laid down because the fire ants were literally eating her up, and we couldn't get her healed. But we haven't ever used it on our garden. Soapy water is a good line of attack, but you're right, it does have to be applied more often. Thank you very much for sharing, Vicky.

      Fern

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  15. Are you opposed to the use of Sevin dust? I try to garden with as few chemicals as possible, but I do sprinkle my cabbage and broccoli and brussels sprouts with sevin because it's the only thing I've found that keeps the worms away. I just be sure to wash it well before preserving or consuming.

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    1. Yes, Alissa, we don't use Sevin in the garden, even though lots of people around here do. A friend of ours sprinkled the worms with baking soda last summer, and it helped, even though it didn't kill them all. Thank you for your experiences.

      Fern

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  16. We use Dipel, or Bt. It's a natural occurring organism that takes care of moths and the worms. I would never use sevin dust on ant thing I would consume.

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    1. I haven't ever bought Bt, Kelly. I've been tempted to, but I would like to know how to combat this problem without depending on something I have to purchase. I wonder if I used some now for a while if it would make a dent in the overall population of these worms in the long run, like Anonymous recommended above. I'll have to think on it some more. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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    2. How about growing your own chrysanthemums and drying and crushing them. Natural repellant?

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    3. It's a good idea, Kelly. I tried growing pyrethrum flowers for the same reason, but haven't had any luck so far. I don't have any chrysanthemums planted, but I like your idea and will have to add some to the herb garden.

      I've also read about green lacewings, and may see if I can order a batch in March. Purchasing predatory insects is something I haven't ever done before, but I may give these a try. I need to do more research first, though.

      Thank you very much for this idea.

      Fern

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