Benefits of Row Covers for Broccoli, Cabbage & Cauliflower
Row covers are a simple way to protect crops like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower while making the garden easier to manage. Both lightweight frost covers and insect netting garden row covers help reduce pest damage and provide weather protection for stronger, more productive plants. Itās an easy addition that has made an amazing difference in how these cool season crops perform in the garden.
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One of the things I’ve learned by trial and error in my garden is that the early spring, cool season vegetables like broccoli, cabbages, and cauliflower (known as group as ‘cole crops’ or ‘brassicas’ along with kale and others) LOVE growing under a lightweight cover. And not only for temperature regulation – using a garden row cover has been the only way I’ve been able to harvest clean broccoli at all.
The Problem with Garden Broccoli
The very first year I grew broccoli I had to throw away every single head and side shoot the plants produce because of aphids. Believe me, I tried everything to get those things off – vinegar, warm water, hot water, boiling water – but they were so thick there was no way to get them out of all the crevices in the heads.
The next year I took a chance and grew them under a light floating row cover, sometimes called Remay, or garden fabric (or frost blanket, although those are a heavier weight), to try and keep the bugs out so we could at least harvest some of the heads.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked wonderfully, keeping out the aphids and the cabbage loopers (well, most of them, since I didn’t keep the edges completely sealed) and allowing us to discover the amazing taste and tenderness of home-grown broccoli (the stems are not tough at all!).
Since then I’ve always grown broccoli under a row cover. And since I grow broccoli in the same bed with cabbage and cauliflower (they’re all from the same family, brassicas) they got covered, too.
And what I discovered through this is that the plants grown under the cover are healthier, grow faster, and produce sooner than any that I plant without a cover!
How to UseĀ Row Covers
Pictured above is a 4’x12′ raised bed (from our former cottage’s garden) in mid-May planted with three sections of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Here’s how I started with the row covers:
- Plant the seedlings (these were planted in April).
- Use short portable metal hoopsĀ or bent pvc pipe inserted in the soil about 2 feet apart in the bed.
- Secure a floating row cover withĀ clothespins or garden clips for pvc pipe on the hoops.
- Use rocks to hold the corners and edges (or you can also use earth staples to secure it).
TIP: Technically, you don’t need to use the hoops, since the fabric is light enough to rest on the plants, but my home-started seedlings are usually pretty fragile and we get a lot of hard rain in the spring, so I’ve found the hoops just give an extra advantage.
Next Steps: You can see in the photo above that the plants are outgrowing the cover, so right after this picture was taken I loosened the clips (and rocks in the corners) to allow for the taller growth.
Why to Use Row Covers
As I’ve mentioned, using a row cover over the broccoli and other brassicas has allowed me to grow them with fewer aphid and cabbage looper damage. In the case of broccoli, it’s allowed me to harvest at all.
Through a happy accident, I also learned that even though they are considered cool weather crops,Ā they respond really well to the the slightly warmer and protected environment under the cover.
With Covers
Here’s a photo of the bed pictured above with the cover pulled back to illustrate this:
You can see that the brassicas have all loved the 5-10 degree warmth increase under the cover, putting out lots of healthy, green growth. In addition to the warmth increase, they have also beenĀ protected them from wind and excessive rain and hail weĀ often have in the springĀ (and if you’re wondering, the ferny plants in between are self-seeded dill – oh, and a weed).
Without Covers
In contrast, these three little cabbages were planted at the same time as the others in the previous photo about 3 feet away. They were extras seedlings that didn’t fit in the main bed so I just found a place they could live out of the way and fend for themselves.
Isn’t the difference amazing?
Even though it doesn’t look like it, these little guys have grown a bit, and they do look healthy, but their brothers are about three to four times bigger! I promise, the only difference is the cover – they all got the same addition of compost and organic fertilizer when planting and same amount of water.
Clean Broccoli
The broccoli grows more rapidly, too – these areĀ about two feet tall and some even haveĀ little green heads starting to bud. They are healthier, with leaves free of damage from flea beetles as well as the aphids and cabbage loopers, and will produce sooner than plants grown without a cover.
You can tell they look pretty happy, right? And I’m just so thankful there’s an organic way to grow broccoli clean enough to eat from the garden!
More On Using Row Covers
As I’ve continued to try different things in the garden, one thing I do a lot more now is to succession plant as well as plant a fall garden. Both of these mean that I need to be growing some of these cool weather crops when it’s too warm for the white row covers, even the lightest varieties.
Enter Insect Netting Row Cover.
Pictured above are beds in our farmhouse vegetable garden covered in insect netting which replaced the row covers when it started getting too warm (around mid to late June here).
I leave the insect netting on all season long now because we also deal with ground squirrels which devour any tender leaves they can find (arrrgggh). It’s a small price to pay for almost bug-free produce, though (I still have to look for slugs and other crawlies).
However, I have discovered something new against cabbage loopers that can work in densely planted beds:
The cabbages above are growing without any cover and are bug-free because they were planted with onions surrounding them! These cabbages stayed fairly bug-free until harvest. I found only a couple loopers on the few that needed longer to mature after I harvested the onions.
While this can work in some cases with cabbages, the only real way to grow broccoli without aphids is to use a row cover.
So, what are the benefits of using row covers again?
So, to recap, I think you’ll love growing broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower under row covers because they:
- remain relatively bug-free
- mature faster
- grow healthier
- produce sooner
This article has been updated – it was originally published in 2010.
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We put covers on and something is ripping it most likely to use for nests (may squirrels) and suggestions
Oh gosh, I’ve never heard of that, Al – rotten creatures. š Hmmm, can you bend some light chicken wire over it to thwart the animals?
That weed in the top picture looks like chadon beni – a member of the cilantro family that we in the Caribbean use to season all our dishes! It’s supremely yummy.
On to the question – as mentioned above, I live in the Caribbean, and the weather gets pretty warm throughout the year – 30 degrees+ celcius (that’s anywhere from high 80s to low 100s in Fahrenheit). I’m just for the first time growing my own broccoli and my garden is very attractive to all kinds of pests imaginable. I have had to net over my strawberries from ants, and I’m constantly battling with bugs in my eggplants and pumpkin and I really would like to not stress about broccoli. I put so much time and love into my crops and seeing them rendered unusable by bugs is a no no. I introduced ladybugs to fight the aphids on my kale and that was great but i don’t think I have nearly enough to attack any that will inevitably be drawn to my brassica bed. All of this to ask, will the cover be a good option in a hot and humid environment like the Caribbean? It is technically the rainy season right now, and we do get periods of relief almost daily from the sweltering heat. But that’s usually followed by increased humidity and I worry that maybe it will be too hot/humid for my broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage and kale if I cover them this way. Any advice on using covers in warm/hot climates?
Wow, if you are having success growing brassicas in that climate, I give you kudos!! They are a cool-weather crop that we grow in the spring and fall here in Oregon. As far as the covers, I’d look for the lightest one available – maybe even the black ‘shade’ cloth would work to keep the cabbage moths away, though I’m not sure about the aphids. I would definitely try it – it makes a world of difference when they’re covered!
Does rain water make it through the covers, Jami?
Oh, yes – rain and sun make it through! I think it’s some sort of ‘polyspun’ fabric or something – that’s what makes it so awesome! The row cover can work as a sun shade, too, for lettuce when it gets warm.
Do you have to put up any of these cole crops? If so, how do you do it? There are only the two of us now and I’m not sure how much of each vegetable to plant. If I plant too much to eat at once, what do I do with the rest?
I try to grow a couple plants of different varieties so they mature a couple weeks apart, and the broccoli just produces side shoots for us all season, but yes, broccoli and cauliflower both freeze well. I do still blanch these vegetables before freezing. I read once that you can freeze cabbage in a slaw and tried it, but it wasn’t a keeper for us. š Luckily, cabbage keeps months in the fridge, so it’s easy to use up for us in stir fries, roasted, slaws, etc. Hope this helps, Karen!
Hello Jamie,
Thank you for the info on row covers. I have cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli seeds planted and growing in my greenhouse. I was able to purchase row covers at my local thrift store for $2.50. Great price! Will be using them for the first time, as last year I had to throw my broccoli and cauliflower out because of the bugs. so, hoping for a good crop this season.
A very mild winter and early spring here in British Columbia Canada. Spinach, collards and gai lan all growing well in the garden, and flowers in bloom much earlier this season. Also, thanks for info on rhurbab, mine is the red one. I have kelp here, so may feed it with this and see if it grows better so I am able freeze some. Bless you for all your assistance.
That was a steal for row covers, Yonne! I know you’ll be thrilled with how they work – I had given up on growing them until I started using them. Your garden sounds lovely – I’ve never heard of gai lan, is that an Asian green for stir fries?
Hi Jami,
Yes, gai lan is an Asian vegetable. It is Chinese broccoli and belongs to the same family as broccoli and kale. It has crisp thick stems, and dark green leaves, but no head like regular broccoli.
I find it very hardy and easy to grow, and usually pick it before the stems get too tough. It’s great in a stir fry, and I like it pan fried in a little oil with finely chopped white and red cabbage and carrots. Sounds a little strange but it’s really a delicious dish.
I also blanch it and store in my freezer for later in the year, it freezes well.
Hope you get to try it sometime.
Thanks for the info- that sounds wonderful, Yonne – I’ll have to remember to look for those seeds!
I purchased the inexpensive row covers for $3 last year and they just don’t stand up to the weather. The UV rays are too strong and every one of my covers had disintegrated by August. If you know that and only use it until July, you can always purchase a new one every year for $2.50!
That’s a good tip, Paula! I order our row covers by the foot from Pinetree and they last 2-3 seasons, depending how rough I am with them. š
Thanks for this great tip. i have given up trying to grow any cruciferous vegetables because they get enjoyed by aphids and other nasty creatures in my garden. I am definitely going to try this. I already bought the row cover for next season. Do you leave this row cover on for the entire growing season? By the way, I live in the Willamette Valley also.
I leave it on for most of the season, Teresa, but usually after I’ve harvested the main broccoli, the cauliflower, and most of the cabbage I take it off. Mainly because the white butterflies have found their way underneath and I’ve got worms. What I’ve found by that time is that the aphids don’t seem to come in the heat of the season and I continue to harvest the broccoli shoots and any cabbages I have left, which only have a few cabbage loopers that are easy to pick off. If there are broccoli shoots still coming on in the fall, though, the aphids might come back – hopefully I’ve got fall varieties starting to produce at that point. š
I’m really enjoying your tips & tricks, but am new to gardening. How to you water when you have the covers on the plants? Do you raise them, water, then replace them? We are on the coast of Oregon at the California border. Seldom gets over 65 degrees, but also seldom gets below 48 at night, so we have some problems with warmth-loving plants (like tomatoes). Any hints you could give would be greatly appreciated!
Hey Lois- good question! I water all my vegetables with soaker hoses that I put in place when I plant. Then it’s just a matter of connecting the end to a garden hose 1-2x each week and letting it really soak into the roots. It encourages deep roots, even moisture and discourages funguses that come from overhead watering.
I really like your site as I am in Washington state. I am going to suggest to my partners about the row covers. We do plant marigolds and other flowering plants to ward off aphids but this might be a better way. Lots of veggies up already as my partners started rotilling as soon as they plowed the garden. We are in a community garden in Everson,Washington. And then started planting. I am surprise all has sprouted
I think all the Northwest has had a milder winter and spring for 2015, right Sandra? I’m able to start a lot of things sooner, too!
Ok.. Dumb question. This is very interesting to me (I am in the Willamette Valley also) and would love to protect my plant babies. Do you keep the covers on 24/7 or just at night? If 24/7, they don’t mind not having the direct sunlight?
I keep them on all the time, Rachelle (oh, and no dumb questions here – we all gotta start learning somewhere!) – the material is specially made to let air, rain and light through – it’s just not as harsh. But that could be one of the reasons they like it so much! Oh, and they will eventually grow too big for the covers to fully cover, but I actually leave them on top of the tall plants until about mid-late July when it seems that the aphids are not as active and the broccoli side-shoots will remain edible.
Southerner- I would love to get rain barrels, but haven’t done that yet. The months of August and September (sometimes July) can be pretty dry here, so watering becomes a hassle. We are on a well, though, so it only costs us electricity to run- not a lot of motivation for the rain barrel, thus is remains at the bottom of the “to do” list. š
Your garden is looking so good. I have never used the row covers. We have a long growing season here in the south, but I really want to try gardening with row covers to be able to have some items year round. We rarely have temps below 32degrees.
You asked how I water my raised beds. At the moment I have just sprayed with a hose. We have four rain barrels that my husband needs to hook up that I will use to water with. I have just never invested in soaker hoses, but I am sure that is the way to go. We have received a lot of rain the last couple of years so I only end up watering 1-2 times a week. I have a lot of containers on the deck and I use “caught” water from the kitchen to try to water as much as I can from those. Stuff like the water used to boil potatoes, eggs, and noodles; leftover water in a glass. Thanks for the link up party!
Wow! Amazing what a big difference the row covers made for your crop. Everything looks yummy!
Jenny- There are a couple of different weights of row covers, some are more frost protection, some just for bugs, some for shade. Anyway, I just get the basic weight one- it used to be called “Remay” but now is something different, I think, but they are made from some type of spun poly material. So, yes, it’s a special fabric that lets a certain amount of light in and water, but can rest on the plants without crushing them.
I’ve had people tell me it’s hard to find in nurseries. I always buy mine from Pinetree Garden Seeds. They sell it in a pkg., but the better deal is to buy it by the foot. I buy some each year, and it usually lasts 2 to 3 seasons.
Thanks for hosting the garden party.
What a great dramatic example of effects of row covers. With the added benefit of a continuous harvest for a while.
Crazy cold weather–Jack Frost is still terrorizing my tender babies. Summer has to arrive sometime, doesn’t it?
Glad I found you (via H&G Boutique) and your party!
Your garden looks so great! We have blooms on plants but no fruit yet.
I like your row covers. I bet if I use those I can start my spinach and lettuces in early March and keep my garden going through the first of December here in the Middle South. That’s a pretty long growing season! Did you buy a special cloth for the cover?
Love your garden party, thank you for hosting! With such a cold, wet spring we don’t have much going on yet, tho everything is very GREEN. Frost last week means maybe tender veggies will be planted this week. We’re at 2000′ so we wait a bit longer than most.
Wow – so pretty! Looks like gardening in the south and gardening in the NW are pretty different. Down here, our tomato plants are loving the 90 degree temps.
So glad I got to be your first garden on todays linky party. I was actually glad for some heat finally, I think it will make my green beans really pop. Happy Gardening!