FROM: LYNDA, PUKEKOHE

Broccoli Stocking Heads

I had given up growing broccoli because I thought white butterflies were eating the leaves, plus aphids would smother the centre of the plants and suck all the goodness out of them.

I asked a new gardening friend what I could do to keep the white butterflies away. The first thing he put me right on is that the holes in my broccoli leaves were made by the white butterfly caterpillar, not the white butterfly itself, as the butterfly is drawn to the leaves – not to eat, but to lay its eggs, and when the caterpillars hatch they eat the leaves for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and in-between. He suggested I use neem oil on the young plants – then, when the centres of the broccoli start to form on the plant and the stems begin to thicken up, cover the centres of the plants with pieces of nylon stocking or thin tights (thick ones might reduce the sunlight) and secure them on the stems and knot at the top. He says regular organic neem oil application will keep the aphids at bay too. I’m going to try his tricks as I have old stockings in my drawer. Wish me luck!