Is it necessary to have a row cover for cabbages at this time of year? I don't see any butterflies that can lay eggs on my cabbage or brussel sprouts.

I have never had experience in Zone 9, but I have found that if I plant cole crops. cabbage. broccoli, etc. the bugs come. I would use row covers.

Welcome New2this,

You don't need covers for bug protection after you have had a killing frost but many crops appreciate the protection from drying winds and freezing temps and you can get many tender crops to produce well past frost with them.

But cabbages and B. sprouts generally do not need them as they are cold hardy.

To jazzieco
We see you are from Western Plains, Co and in zone 5.
Two of our sons are in Breckenridge, & we are considering moving out to their area.
How do you find the gardening there, how many months can you garden? We are reluctant to move anywhere we cant grow enough vegetables for the family. We are in zone 5 here,close to Kansas City, Mo.

I am not sure what zone Breckinridge is in, but we are in zone 5A which means the average last kiloling frost is May 15 and average first killing frost is September 15. We are at 5280 Feet it elevation and BLreckinrige is around 9000 feet. It would be much cooler there and shorter seasons. At that altitude, the only thing I would be fairly certain of raising wound be peas, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and that sort of cold weather vegetable. It wouldn't surprise me to find it freezing there occasionally in July. Further west and down in the valleys, the weather is more like mine, but milder, as I am in a full desert ecology. Sorry, I can't be more optimistic. My aunt used to grow great cabbages in Leadville, which is over 11,000 ft high.

I just planted broccoli for the first time, and I am ignorant about the row cover stuff. Here we are not likely to have any killing frost, although it could happen, so do I need to cover my broc now and do I keep it covered permanently, and what do I cover it with? Do I need to provide shade if the days get past a certain warm temperature? I still do not know my zone, as the maps do not narrow in closely enough for the different ecosystems of the San Gabriel valley, but this is Southern Ca. and I am not on the foothills, or the ocean, and the winter temps can range from 29 (rarely) at night to high 70's in the daytime, but usually low 70's.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Scrubjay

Do you have any old sheer curtains? They work perfectly as row covers and wash easily when finished. Anchor with a rock on each corner.

I moved to the high plains east of Boulder, Colorado from Kansas City 11 years ago. I've NEVER regretted it, but you do have to learn to garden with new techniques. In Breckenridge you'd probably need a greenhouse for tomatoes or grow them in pots and bring them in at night. But cool crops like lettuce, spinach, and the cole crops would probably be ok. Even at my altitude which is about 5000 ft., it often drops to the low 50's at night in the summer. I have good success growing crops in coldframes in the winter because there's about 1000% more sun out here in the winter than in KC. Water is a big issue here (we've had about 8 inches of rain so far this year)and also wind blows ferociously at times.

If you want to be certain, visit the area and find some gardeners to talk with or go to a local garden center. You have to be a bit tough to survivie in the West, but it is really worth it. Good luck.

Amen, Toadfriend!