Don't Let These Two Pests Destroy Your Veggie Patch

You have holes in your leaves, and you've only just planted out the garden. Yeah...me too! With planting a veggie garden comes so much joy. The satisfaction of new growth and harvesting fresh greens is exciting, but along with all that goodness, there are a few unwelcome bugs that can quickly undo your hard work. Here are 2 common garden pests to keep an eye on this growing season and some simple ways to stop them in their tracks.

Protect your seedlings while young.

The mistake:

You will get pests; it's a normal part of gardening and planting, with no protection or prevention is acan't mistake.

Why it matters:

Your seedlings are at their most vulnerable when they’re small and tender. You’ve spent time (and money!) getting your veggie garden started, so a bit of prevention now can save you from heartbreak later.

When plants are young, caterpillars, slugs and snails can completely wipe out your crop overnight. As your veggies mature, they can handle a little damage here and there, but seedlings don’t have that resilience yet.

The fix:

• Use fine mesh or bug netting to create a physical barrier.

• Try cloches, tunnel houses, or even fizzy drink bottles and little barriers.

• Keep the garden tidy and free from decaying debris, as it can become a nice hiding spot for pests.

• Inspect your plants - a quick morning and evening inspection can catch problems early.

• Use garden care products to help you.

Caterpillars

If you see the white butterfly fluttering around your garden, she's laying her eggs.

Those tiny eggs you spot on your brassicas are going to cause damage to your vegetables. In less than 10 days, they’ll turn into hungry caterpillars!

The white butterfly (also known as the cabbage butterfly) loves to lay her eggs on brassica veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.

Be sure to check the undersides of leaves, as that’s where she cleverly hides her eggs. When they hatch, the caterpillars quickly start feeding, chewing holes through leaves (big and small) and often leaving behind just the leaf veins, like delicate green skeletons. You may also notice black droplets on your plant; yup, that's poo.

To stay ahead

• Flip and Wipe: Flip over the leaves to expose the undersides and gently wipe off any eggs you see. They’re usually white and darken to beige just before hatching.

• Make it routine: A quick Saturday morning inspection can dramatically reduce their numbers before they take over. Removing the eggs is the best way to eliminate the caterpillar population, as you're stopping the lifecycle in its tracks.

• Add protection: Create a barrier so the white butterfly can't even lay eggs. Cover your brassicas with cloches or fine mesh netting. Brassicas don’t need bees for pollination to make the vegetable, so don't stress about applying mesh.

• Use garden care products: As a last resort, try options like diatomaceous earth or derris dust.

Just a quick reminder - always use garden products sparingly and with care for our bees and other pollinators. Even the safer or “natural” options should be applied lightly and thoughtfully.

It’s easy to forget that sprays and dusts don’t pick what they want to kill; they can harm the good bugs just as much as the bad ones. And even if a product is certified organic or natural, it can still affect beneficial insects or make its way into our waterways. A gentle, mindful approach is always best for a healthy, balanced garden.

Garden Care Product

Diatomaceous earth. It’s a natural, sedimentary rock powder composed of fossilised diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae, which is simply sprinkled onto your plants. The diatomaceous earth particles have sharp edges that cut into the soft bodies of these pests when they come into contact, causing them to dehydrate and die. This method provides a more eco-friendly and less toxic way to protect your brassicas compared to other garden care products. This item is also certified organic…people eat diatomaceous earth, it’s great for chicken mites and fabulous in pet beds for fleas.

Slugs & Snails

You need to go hunting in the evening, they hide away in the day

These pests love moist conditions and tender young seedlings. You’ll often notice the edges of leaves mysteriously disappearing, especially on lettuce and other soft-leaved plants.

Did you know that slugs and snails are most active at night and after rain, when the garden is damp? Head out on a little night mission with a torch and you’ll be amazed at how many you spot crawling up the sides of your garden beds, fence and pots.

While you’re out there, you can handpick and remove them, or set up a beer trap... they can’t resist the yeasty smell and will slide right in (they can't swim that well). Or as a prevention measure, try removing the bottom leaves on your plants; they love to feed on the old, decaying matter.

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Although this gardening blog shares my experiences and factual horticultural information, remember that your gardening journey is unique to you. Adapt, experiment, and learn from your own experiences; that's all part of the process.