[MomwithHope]

Have a couple of pics. I suspect we have all been too busy to post much. I've been using these plant containers with the bottom cut out for all the broccoli for a few years. We don't have much critter damage but last year a lone deer came up close to the house and feasted on a few broccoli plants. I quickly got a roll of 1" mesh and made some circular cages. That worked. This year I started out Wil everything set up right. These are the lieutenant plants. The biggest. Have 4 of those and 4 of a variety called Taho. Have not tried it before. Also our Mason bee houses are both full already. I found a source online for tubes, 100 for like 11.00. I used a piece of drain tile scrap I had in the barn and a cottage cheese container lid for the back, sewn on with army thread and then gorilla taped. These tubes are a couple inches longer. We see the bees in the garden all the time. Everything is growing great this year and we have had a couple of salads already. Also harvesting lots of green onions. I clean, chop and freeze in meal size bags for a skillet dish or soup. I have 15 bags put up already. The last ditch effort on shishito pepper seeds and costa rican red pepper seeds has paid off. I sewed then in a pot on the patio in regular soil and darned if they all didn't grow. Squeezed them into the garden, its a very deep bed. Happy gardening everyone.

[metmom]

I use tomato cages and chicken wire for essentially the same plant protection from critters.

It does work. They can get to the tops of the plants, but not further in.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I have Broccoli Envy! WOW! I’m growing ‘Lieutenant’ too, of course. Mine are dwarfs compared to yours, but we’ve had nothing but RAIN all Spring so far. :(

Love how you love those hard-working bees! Mason bees, Right?