
How to Stop Cabbage Caterpillars From Eating Your Garden!
Are cabbage caterpillars eating your garden? Out of all the pests I have covered so far, I think the cabbage caterpillar (also known as the cabbage worm) might be the one that we have all battled at some time or another. In my experience, the best way to stop green cabbage caterpillars from eating your garden is a multi-prong approach that deals with each stage of this butterfly’s life.
Yes, I said “butterfly.” As gardeners, we are usually ecstatic when we see butterflies fluttering about the garden, but there is one butterfly that always makes me cringe a little—the cabbage white butterfly. This butterfly lays its eggs on brassicas (kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc.) and those eggs hatch into those green caterpillars that devastate our brassica patches.
Identifying The Cabbage White Caterpillar
What are those green caterpillars eating my garden? It would be a good time to note a couple things: First, each garden zone will have different native pests, so while I can identify the types of green worms we get in zone 10b, there are other kinds that might be native to your zone. Therefore, it is definitely worth it to check and see what kinds of butterflies and moths are native to your area. Second, I have two kinds of green worms in my garden: cabbage white caterpillars (AKA cabbageworms) and cabbage loopers. This year it seems the loopers are more prevalent.
Cabbage white caterpillars are the larvae of those white butterflies I mentioned previously. You can often see them flying above your brassicas. When they land, you might see their abdomens curling under and depositing an egg on the underside of the leaves. It’s easiest for me to identify cabbage white caterpillars because they look like velvet or slightly fuzzy.
Cabbage loopers are the larvae of the looper moth. It’s a greyish looking moth that I don’t often see in the garden because it is mainly nocturnal. These green caterpillars are not velvety and actually move in more of an inchworm pattern. They have to move by bending their middles up and down because they have no middle legs! If you look at the photo below, you’ll see little legs in the front and back. As I said, this year my garden has tons of cabbage looper caterpillars.
How to Stop Cabbage Caterpillars From Eating Your Garden
Like I was saying in the beginning of this article, it is best to control these cabbageworms by using a multi-prong approach at all stages of this caterpillar’s life. In the rest of this article I discuss my recommendations for how to approach these pests in the garden.
Companion Planting to Deter Cabbage Butterflies
Your first line of defense is companion planting. Why? Planting your brassicas amongst plants like calendula, nasturtiums, garlic, or onions can help to confuse the butterflies and “hide” your brassicas so they can’t find them. For example, this year I had great success by interplanting my cabbages amongst dense calendula and garlic patches. As a result, I felt like the strong fragrance of the garlic made it hard for the butterflies to find their host plant.
Nasturtiums are another great companion plant. They are a great example of a “trap crop” that lures the pests in and basically sacrifices themselves for your vegetable garden. In this case, the cabbageworms would inhabit and eat the nasturtiums instead of your cabbages. For more flowers that are very useful in the garden, I highly recommend reading “Best Flowers for a Potager Garden.”
Physcial Barriers – Another Organic Option
Your second line of defense (should you choose to use it) would be to use a physical barrier to prevent the butterflies from laying their eggs on your brassicas. Personally, I find physcial barriers to be the most effective method for stopping cabbage caterpillars from eating your garden. There are a few interesting phyiscal barrier options:
Lightweight fabric covers. This fabric is specifically designed to let enough light in to your crops, but also will prevent the butterflies from being able to lay eggs on your brassicas. For an example you can check out my full DIY fabric row cover article for how to install your own. In addition, some gardeners have success using tulle or other screen fabric too.
Wire cloches: These would not be long term solutions because of their size but, most of the time, my goal is to protect my brassica seedlings long enough for them to get big enough to fend for themselves. Therefore, decorative cloches could be used until the plant is too big to fit. At this point, damage from pests is not usually fatal. Moreover, these cloches would also protect from birds, curious dogs, and maybe some curious rabbits.
Pest Control Pop-Up: I have never used these, but they look to be an awesome solution for small garden beds and spaces. For instance, if you are looking to easily cover one bed, these pop-up tents might be a solution. It seems they let enough light in so your plants can still grow, but they will keep out a variety of pests. However, a cover of tulle would probably do the same.
Find & Remove Caterpillar Eggs
After doing all you can to prevent the butterflies from laying eggs on your brassicas, the next best course of action would be finding and squishing any eggs. Do this daily! To find eggs, look on the undersides of brassica leaves for tiny, creamy specks. If you look closely, they should look like an oblong egg. Some gardeners will take an old toothbrush and softly brush the undersides of the leaves to remove the eggs or simply rub the undersides of leaves with their fingers. Either way you do it, target these eggs to prevent them from hatching into those green caterpillars!
Most importantly, daily inspections are vital to garden success! Even if you can get outside for only five minutes, do it! Take time to enjoy looking at all your plants. Check for signs of disease, bug bites, caterpillar poops, drooping, etc. Knowing your garden is the key to catching things early and preventing a full blown problem in your garden.
Related Article: What else usually grows with brassicas? Check out my Fall & Winter Gardening Guide for SoCal!
Hand-Picking Caterpillars
Despite all our efforts, finding these little green buggers on our brassicas is inevitable. The last resort in our multi-prong approach is looking for the caterpillars on the plants and squishing them, feeding them to chickens (or quail), or drowning them in a bucket of water. PS: I totally use gloves for squishing or throw them on the ground and step on them. Since cabbage caterpillars are green, they blend in very well and are hard to spot. Start by looking for holes in the leaves or caterpillar poops. These are the best indicators that a caterpillar is nearby.
The Role of Beneficial Insects
I wanted to end this article with a very cool story. For the longest time Sam and I had had what we deemed the prettiest kale we ever grew. It was a curly variety, grown from seed, and was absolutely lush and perfect—no bug holes! We had no idea why this kale was absolutely caterpillar free until we met Steve. Scary looking and hairy, Steve was our resident garden spider. One day we looked inside the kale and saw him with the drained body of a cabbage caterpillar hanging out of his mouth. It clicked! Our kale was flawless because Steve was eating all the caterpillars on it—major points for mother nature!!! Steve scared the heck out of me, but I knew he was responsible for keeping our vegetables pest free. Additionally, critters like birds and certain kinds of wasps can also prey on these caterpillars. At the end of the day, it’s so important to recognize the role of beneficial insects in keeping these cabbage caterpillars from eating your garden.
Related Article: Cool Season Flowers for Southern California
In conclusion, staying vigilant against these caterpillars is the key to controlling them organically. I would try committing to trying these methods for a whole season and see if you have less damage. Currently, we employ all of these methods in our garden and I can honestly say that we don’t consider these caterpillars to be a problem.
Still Having Really Bad Caterpillar Issues?
I have written an article called “My Organic Pest Control Toolkit” that outlines some of the more severe means by which you can deal with pests. I only use these methods as a last resort! Remember, the goal is to have balance in the garden—-not insect free! Click here to read. Coming Soon!
Other articles you might find interesting:
Amending your Soil Organically Between Seasons


Hola Randi and the FreckledCalifornian team 🙂
Ah, I was anxiously awaiting this article my friend! But I will be 100% honest with you, I was hoping for a miracle cure to these pesky little cabbage worms! But what I’m reading has made me realize, these little guys are as much of a problem as I let them be. I have always believed in constant checking of my plants and veggies and since I’ve been falling behind in my garden, I’ve been behind on my checking and now I see more damage than usual. But I do know is more a problem with me not staying vigilant…
And I had know idea the difference between the cabbage looper and cabbage worm, so I’ve learned one more thing today 🙂
Anyways, thanks a bunch for reminding me that if I want my garden to look it’s best… that will solely depend on me and what I do for it! Hope you guys are well and I’ll be catching up soon, for now I’m glad to have caught this great article my friends 🙂
Sorry my friend, no miracle cure. But I will say that covering your brassicas with the cloth or netting is darn near close. The good news is, if things want to eat your vegetables, then you are growing good stuff!!!! haha. Good luck on your pest control efforts!
1
555
555
555
555
555
555
555
555
VXjsihBR
if(now()=sysdate(),sleep(15),0)
0″XOR(if(now()=sysdate(),sleep(15),0))XOR”Z
-1; waitfor delay ‘0:0:15’ —
1 waitfor delay ‘0:0:15’ —
-5 OR 38=(SELECT 38 FROM PG_SLEEP(15))–
mUba1Ahm’) OR 377=(SELECT 377 FROM PG_SLEEP(15))–
@@ml2dN
1
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Create unlimited temporary email addresses for free with 0mail Pro. Enjoy fast, secure, and anonymous temp mail services – no registration required.
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome site!
I got what you mean , appreciate it for putting up.Woh I am thankful to find this website through google. “Success is dependent on effort.” by Sophocles.
hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise a few technical points using this web site, as I experienced to reload the website lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my email and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content. Ensure that you update this again soon..
Outstanding post, you have pointed out some good points, I too conceive this s a very superb website.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such fantastic info being shared freely out there.
I do like the way you have framed this particular challenge and it really does offer us some fodder for thought. Nevertheless, through what precisely I have personally seen, I simply trust when the actual responses stack on that individuals continue to be on point and not embark upon a tirade involving the news du jour. All the same, thank you for this outstanding piece and although I do not necessarily agree with this in totality, I value your point of view.
Excellent site. Plenty of useful info here. I’m sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks to your sweat!
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it’s really informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
I enjoy your writing style really enjoying this web site.
I am not sure the place you’re getting your info, however great topic. I must spend some time studying much more or working out more. Thanks for great info I used to be in search of this info for my mission.
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with helpful information to work on. You have done an impressive process and our entire neighborhood will likely be grateful to you.
I keep listening to the news broadcast speak about receiving boundless online grant applications so I have been looking around for the finest site to get one. Could you tell me please, where could i acquire some?
My spouse and i ended up being fulfilled that Peter managed to finish off his web research through the ideas he discovered through the web page. It’s not at all simplistic to simply possibly be freely giving thoughts which often people could have been trying to sell. Therefore we grasp we’ve got you to be grateful to for that. The type of explanations you have made, the easy blog navigation, the friendships you can give support to promote – it is all exceptional, and it’s really facilitating our son in addition to us recognize that that topic is satisfying, which is certainly unbelievably essential. Thank you for the whole thing!
1
I will immediately take hold of your rss as I can not to find your email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please allow me recognise so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
Rattling excellent information can be found on weblog. “Never violate the sacredness of your individual self-respect.” by Theodore Parker.
I’m often to running a blog and i really admire your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your site and maintain checking for brand spanking new information.
Some really superb info , Sword lily I discovered this.
Keep working ,great job!
I truly prize your piece of work, Great post.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100 sure. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Great work! That is the type of information that should be shared across the web. Disgrace on the search engines for now not positioning this put up higher! Come on over and talk over with my website . Thanks =)
Just wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness for your post is just excellent and that i could think you are an expert in this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to snatch your feed to stay up to date with approaching post. Thanks one million and please continue the rewarding work.
Yay google is my world beater assisted me to find this great site! .
You can definitely see your skills within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
Thanx for the effort, keep up the good work Great work, I am going to start a small Blog Engine course work using your site I hope you enjoy blogging with the popular BlogEngine.net.Thethoughts you express are really awesome. Hope you will right some more posts.
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this article is awesome, great written and include almost all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
I like this blog so much, saved to favorites.
Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
Those are yours alright! . We at least need to get these people stealing images to start blogging! They probably just did a image search and grabbed them. They look good though!
You really make it appear so easy together with your presentation however I find this matter to be actually one thing that I think I would by no means understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am having a look forward to your next put up, I¦ll try to get the dangle of it!
It¦s really a great and useful piece of information. I¦m glad that you just shared this useful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
Deference to website author, some fantastic entropy.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Hello! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the superb work!
You got a very good website, Glad I observed it through yahoo.
I like this blog very much, Its a very nice place to read and find information.
so much great information on here, : D.
Excellent site. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks for your sweat!
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I’m quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
Very interesting subject , regards for posting.
I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
A person necessarily lend a hand to make seriously posts I’d state. This is the first time I frequented your website page and up to now? I surprised with the analysis you made to create this particular publish incredible. Great task!
The Pink Salt Trick is a minimalist but effective morning routine: Just drink a glass of lukewarm water mixed with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt as soon as you wake up.
I got what you mean , thankyou for posting.Woh I am pleased to find this website through google. “You must pray that the way be long, full of adventures and experiences.” by Constantine Peter Cavafy.
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.
Excellent blog here! Also your website loads up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol
You have brought up a very wonderful points, regards for the post.
This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your wonderful post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
you’re really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a magnificent job on this topic!
Hello there, I discovered your site by the use of Google even as searching for a related topic, your web site got here up, it seems great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
You are a very smart person!
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My site goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
Excellent blog right here! Additionally your web site rather a lot up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your associate hyperlink in your host? I desire my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
I¦ve recently started a site, the information you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
I just like the valuable information you provide for your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and test once more here frequently. I am rather sure I’ll be told many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for much more of your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this again soon..
Woh I like your blog posts, saved to favorites! .
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my users would really benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Regards!
I like this site very much, Its a very nice office to read and get info . “Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.” by Baltasar Gracian.
Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your blog. You have some really good articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please blast me an e-mail if interested. Kudos!
Well I definitely liked reading it. This information procured by you is very practical for proper planning.
I appreciate your work, thankyou for all the great blog posts.
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
I¦ve learn several just right stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how a lot attempt you place to make such a wonderful informative site.
Well I truly enjoyed reading it. This subject offered by you is very useful for accurate planning.
I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this increase.
I got what you mean , thankyou for posting.Woh I am pleased to find this website through google.
I’m often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your website and keep checking for brand new information.
I am glad to be one of the visitants on this outstanding internet site (:, thanks for posting.
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks
I have been examinating out many of your stories and i can state pretty good stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog.
Excellent blog here! Also your website lots up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your associate link to your host? I desire my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
I do not even know the way I stopped up right here, but I thought this put up was great. I do not recognise who you’re however certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger if you happen to are not already 😉 Cheers!
But wanna remark that you have a very decent web site, I like the style and design it really stands out.
This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
I have not checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.
fantastic points altogether, you just gained a brand new reader. What would you recommend in regards to your post that you made some days ago? Any positive?
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to improve my website!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!
Excellent website. Plenty of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks on your effort!
Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
I¦ve learn several excellent stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you put to make one of these magnificent informative web site.
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I’m very glad to see such wonderful info being shared freely out there.
This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
Thanks a lot for providing individuals with an exceptionally special chance to read from this blog. It can be very kind and packed with amusement for me personally and my office fellow workers to visit the blog at least 3 times weekly to read the newest guidance you have. And of course, I’m so actually astounded for the sensational methods served by you. Some 3 tips in this post are easily the most impressive I’ve had.
Some truly fantastic information, Gladiola I observed this.
Keep working ,terrific job!
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
Được thành lập vào năm 2020, nhà cái này đã nhanh chóng khẳng định tên tuổi trong làng game online với hàng triệu thành viên hoạt động mỗi ngày. Không chỉ là nơi để giải trí, đây còn là cơ hội để người chơi trải nghiệm những trận cược đỉnh cao, nhận thưởng giá trị và khám phá thế giới cá cược trực tuyến đẳng cấp quốc tế.
Keep functioning ,fantastic job!
đang tạo nên cơn sốt lớn trong thế giới cá cược trực tuyến với phong cách vận hành chuyên nghiệp và công nghệ tiên tiến hàng đầu. Đây không chỉ là nơi để thỏa mãn đam mê giải trí, mà còn là “mảnh đất vàng” để người chơi thể hiện bản lĩnh và chiến thắng lớn. Mỗi trải nghiệm tại 555win đều là sự kết hợp hoàn hảo giữa đẳng cấp, sáng tạo và cơ hội.
naturally like your web-site however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to inform the reality nevertheless I will certainly come again again.
Đừng bỏ lỡ PKWIN – lựa chọn số 1 cho mọi tín đồ cá cược trực tuyến! Từ bảo mật dữ liệu tuyệt đối, giao diện thân thiện đến trả thưởng nhanh như chớp, mọi thứ đều được tối ưu để mang lại trải nghiệm hoàn hảo. Tham gia ngay hôm nay và rinh ngay 188K về tài khoản chỉ với vài bước đăng ký đơn giản.
Nice blog here! Also your web site rather a lot up very fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink on your host? I desire my site loaded up as fast as yours lol
PKWIN – Sân chơi cá cược đẳng cấp với bảo mật tuyệt đối, cam kết giữ an toàn tuyệt đối cho mọi giao dịch và thông tin người chơi. Đặc biệt, hệ thống trả thưởng siêu tốc giúp bạn nhận tiền chỉ trong vài phút. Đăng ký ngay hôm nay để nhận thưởng 188K miễn phí và bắt đầu hành trình săn thưởng hấp dẫn cùng PKWIN!
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
You have brought up a very fantastic details , regards for the post.
This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I see something genuinely special in this website .
Thanks for all your efforts that you have put in this. very interesting info .
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.
Very interesting topic, appreciate it for putting up. “He who seizes the right moment is the right man.” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Keep working ,splendid job!
Thanks for helping out, fantastic info .
I have recently started a web site, the info you offer on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
I conceive other website proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and great user friendly design.