The destroyed plants...beyond saving? At least I got one harvest out of the collards.

Wow! You must've had quite an infestation. Trim up all the really bad leaves and dispose of -- you may still be able to get something out of them. The broccoli and cauli may be done, due to the fact that they put out so many leaves before heading and they use those leaves to generate the heads. But the collards could definitely be saved, maybe... since they'll keep on generating leaves as long as you don't clip the innermost leaves.

In the meantime, go get some BT and spray once a week for a few weeks. it will clear up your problem in no time. Totally safe, available at ANY garden center. Not sure about Walmart though.

Kevin

That's a Cross-Striped Cabbage worm. Save the Bt....that's for very early infestations when the caterpillars are very young. Yes, it's "safe " but still should not be used unless it's necessary and the caterpillars are babes.

Thanks for the info, Kevin and Rhizo. I will clean up all the leaves and dispose of them. As I read more, it seems that brassicas are susceptible to a lot of pests. Perhaps next year, I'll use the BT early. It seems like it's approved for organic gardening...pretty cool. Thanks again.

Next year, plant then loosely cover with row cover which will protect the plants from the moths that lay the eggs which soon become caterpillars.

Be certain to secure the edges of the row cover, though, as any determined moths can enter through gaps.