Article submitted by Skirret, free seeds on route.

Last year I put the usual netting over my brassicas, as we all know it only takes a leaf to touch the net or a tiny gap and the tricky little cabbage white butterflies are in. But last year I grew chamomile amongst them and around the netting.

The pesky little fellows didn't bother the plants at all. Normally you can see them looking for any little gap in the netting or any little leaf touching but they flew right over. I left some kale and three cabbages outside of the netting with chamomile in between and they were not bothered with either.

Test it yourselves and see, bear in mind I only tried it one year but I will be doing it again this year. I cropped the chamomile all season to keep the flower heads and their sent around, I also planted successionaly and had lots of lovely organic flower heads to give away for tea. I can't stand the stuff. Although a lemon balm and chamomile herb bath is lovely and soothing.

If this is your first year growing and your purple sprouting broccoli gets attacked by cabbage whites, keep taking the caterpillars off but don't get too downhearted, you will stll get a wonderful crop come April. Our best ever crop was after a patch had been almost decimated and we had been too broken hearted to remove the plants.

Happy growing!