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Thanks so much for your advice! I've been holding off planting out until I can get hold of some net but now I know what I'm looking for I can finally put them into the bed!
I used some water piping and netting to build a cloche, dead easy use tie fasteners or staples as soon as you have planted and this stops them being able to get at them. I have also bought some nematodes which you can water into the floor and its supposed to kill any slugs or snails by eating them but is harmless to pets etc.
I use the debris netting on my allotment lot, it is normally used on scaffolding by builders, you can get in on ebay. It's half the price of enviromesh and fleece etc but works wonders at stopping the white cabbage butterfly getting into the brassica cage or laying it's eggs onto the leaves through the netting. It also comes in loads of colours (yes I'm a woman so colour counts!) Please note though you cannot use this for any cage where the contents require pollination, such as fruit, as bees cannot get in either !!
Hi we had this problem last year and tried all sorts with no luck, eventually I bought some enviro fleece its a woven mesh stopping butterflies getting to the veg.
We buils a raised bed with posts and turned it into a green house but with plastic tarpaulin sides and and enviromsh roof it has been brilliant loads of cattapillar free veg.You can however just lay it over the veg.
Tim Plymouth
Use horticultural fleece, but make sure there are no gaps or rips - the butterfly is an expert in getting in! You mat also use a biological control bacillus thuringensius (not sure if spelling right but also called BT). The disadvantage is the dead caterpillars rot on the plant so make sure you wash well before eating.
BT is now genetically engineered into plants for commercial use, but resistance is emerging.
soapy water,wash them and make sure that you rub al the leaves and pick off any eggs that may be hiding, ensure you check the underside of the leaves