best / safest treatment for cole crops??

What's your experiences with treating pests on Chinese cabbages or cole crops, in general? Rotenone?, Pyrethrin?, Safer product???
Thanks,
LarryD

I like to target my pests. Brassicas in general, are attacked by the cabbage worm and sometime the cabbage looper. Bt takes care of them. The heading Chinese cabbages can be very attractive to snails, destroying thier habitat and using a snail bait around the perimeter helps control them. Other than that brassicas are pretty trouble free here. Flea beetles do a little damage, but not enough to bring out the weapons.

Ditto to what FarmerDill said. I do occasionally have problems with bunnies as well. A large bottle of cheap Cayenne pepper liberally sprinkled all over the plant seems to be a big deterrent. Mine don't seem to like spicy! LOL

That's good to know, doccat5 - I've been concerned about that. This will be the first time we've planted bunny food here (well that's what they'll think the leafy veggies are anyway) and we have rabbits in abundance. Every morning when we feed the horses we see a couple dozen of them munching away on the pasture grass.

Frank

I've got two of those 50 lb Bonnie Cabbage seedlings to plant in Zone 9a. I have a patch of sunny grass waaay out back and am thinking of putting a raised box out there for the seedling. It's supposed to grow as big as a wheelbarrow. I have lots of decomp leaves to fill it with, as I read it likes organic medium best. I could get a small bag of compost for a top layer and set the seedling smack in the middle. My question is whether I can expect any success with growing this cole plant now. Or should I just try to keep it alive until the end of summer (Like around August) and grow it into the cool weather?

Thanks.

I would not advise trying to hold a seedling. It will try to head when it thinks its supposed to. You want to keep them growing and not stunt them. They don't get as big in the south as they do in the north. Mine get about 15 lbs here. I have gotten them to 30 in Virginia.

Farmerdill, et al.....

Thanks for the useful information. Looking forward to a successful season with some cole crops. Appreciate your help!

LarryD