Rossdale Farm – Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, radish and kohlrabi are all members of the Brassicaceae family. Another member of this family is canola. Plants in the same families are susceptible to the same diseases and insects.
What does this mean as a gardener on the Canadian prairies? The insects and diseases that affect canola will infect the broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, radish and kohlrabi in your garden. These vegetables are also susceptible to flea beetles and cabbage moths (which are technically butterflies!).
In order to grow these vegetables in your garden chemical free, they need to be grown under insect netting. Add in consistent watering and improved soil fertility from no till and these cool season plants will thrive on the Canadian prairies!
Below is an example of the same variety of broccoli plant, planted on the same day that experienced the same growing conditions with the exception that the plant in back was grown under insect netting! You can start to appreciate the challenges of growing brassicas on the Canadian prairies when you see this image!
Rossdale Farm is a distributor for AgFabric in Canada. This is heavy weight insect netting that will last season after season, even with the high sustained winds we experience here on the prairies. This insect netting will prohibit cabbage moth and flea beetles from attacking all of your brassica plants. This insect netting can also protect your crops from grasshopper damage.
It is preferred to construct hoops over the plants and drape the insect netting over the hoops rather than floating the netting on top of the plants. The moths can still get their ovipositor through the netting so if the plants are touching the netting, the moths could potentially become a problem inside the netting. To avoid this, build simple hoops that will support the 10′ wide insect netting. You can use gas line or electrical conduit to build these. Simple wires may not support the weight of this insect netting through the summer. Tuck the bottoms of the netting into your mulch to prevent them flying free in the wind.
The insect netting is 10′ wide and available in custom lengths. Be sure to include extra to tie off the ends over the hoops. Send an email via the contact page to place an order. Insect netting can either be picked up at the farm or mailed via Canada Post’s flat rate boxes depending on the length ordered.
