Kitchen Garden Forum

Last year one of my green Brussels Sprouts turned into a lovely red cabbage with no sign of caterpillar damage. I wondered if the butterflies shunned them because the caterpillars would be too visible, so this year I have grown a number of red and green cabbages. Apart from one very visible large white caterpillar (why one - was it dropped there!?) the red cabbages have been caterpillar-free - not so the green cabbages though the damage hasn't been that much this year. Of course it could be that they targetted the green cabbages (and sprouts) rather than the red cabbage, but this would again tend to back up my theory.

Incidentally, last year we had very few wasps and this year looked to be going the same way. But in the last few weeks they have put in an appearance and I have been very pleased to watch them eating the green Small White caterpillars on the Brussels Sprouts.

Colin
It will be interesting to hear other people's experiences on this. I no longer grow red cabbages, but in the 20 years when I did (alongside green varieties) I never saw any caterpillars on them - nor any brassica whitefly for that matter either. The same was the case with red varieties of sprouts. I suspect that red cabbages are just too strong for them.

Alan

Red cabbage seems less prone to damage from the normal pests. We do have a problem with them growing blind (no heart) two out of a row of 20 this year.

Regarding wasps we had a number in the middle of September, otherwise it has been very quiet.

We grow quite a lot of red cabbages (Red Winner from DT Brown this year performed very well) and other than a bit of slug damage on the outer leaves, we don't have any caterpillar problems - contrary to the other brassicas which have all suffered this year.

I slow cook the red cabbage with apples, onions, juniper berries and red wine and freeze it in double portions. Works well and tastes better than frozen green cabbage. Some are kept growing into winter but they usually go mushy when it gets really cold.

Our red cabbage is also unblemished by caterpillars. The pigeons still love them though.

Many thanks for your replies. My theory re the 'colour clash' would seem to be correct. But I find it strange that I haven't come across this bit of information before. Or maybe I haven't looked in the right places? Or maybe, as Johnboy remarked when commenting on pesticide control, Cabbage White caterpillars didn't use to be such a problem?