What's eating my calabrese broccoli?

Calabrese broccoli faces the same brassica pest pressure as cabbage: caterpillars are the worst offender, eating florets and leaves rapidly. Cabbage aphids cluster on stems and developing heads, while cabbage root fly weakens plants from below. Pigeons graze on leaves heavily in winter. Insect-proof mesh is essential.

Holes in leaves and florets; green caterpillars hide in the developing head and are hard to spot until harvest; heavy frass contamination Use insect-proof mesh (0.8 mm) throughout the season; check florets carefully before eating; apply Bt spray; hand-pick larvae and crush yellow egg batches

Grey-white colonies congregate between leaves and deep in the head, making the broccoli unpleasant to eat; curling, discoloured leaves Jet-wash with water; insecticidal soap or pyrethrin spray; soak harvested heads in salted water for 20 minutes to dislodge hidden aphids before eating

Plants wilt and fail to develop good heads; white maggots in roots; blue-purple tinge to leaves signals root stress Fit brassica root collars at transplanting; cover with insect mesh to exclude egg-laying adults; rotate brassicas to a new bed each season

Leaves stripped to stumps, especially in autumn and winter; entire young transplants eaten overnight Cover with bird netting (at least 2.5 cm mesh) or a sturdy cage framework; secure edges to ground so birds cannot get underneath