Cabbage root maggots and slugs are just a few of the notorious pests that can inflict damage on garden vegetables this season.
Master gardener Ed Buyarski suggested in this week’s edition of Gardentalk that gardeners use Reemay garden fabric to cover new plants in the cabbage family until mid June. The fabric will allow light, air and water to pass through to the seedlings while blocking flies that could target cabbage, cabbage broccoli, turnips, rutabaga and radishes.
“We loosely put the fabric over the plants after we’ve planted them,” Buyarski said. “Hold it down with rocks or boards, or even bury it in the soil around the edges. I normally leave it on, except to check and pull a few weeds, essentially until the plants are so large they’re actually lifting this fabric up and off.”
Slugs are already active. Buyarski suggested cleaning garden beds before planting and placing slug bait on the perimeter.
