Cabbage 'Alaska' from Marshall's Seeds - click on the pic to see more.
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Some books will tell you that the cabbage family need cool moist conditions to do well. However, large areas of Kent are given over to commercial brassica growing, and we must assume the professionals know what they're doing. What's more, the close cousin of our domesticated broccoli and sprouts grows wild on the cliffs round the Kent coast.
There is a clue there to the two main things the cabbage family demands. Lime, and firm anchorage for its roots. This article doesn't take the place of your gardening book, where you'll find lots more about growing brassicas. |
So here are the snippings from our gardener's notebook:
It's normal to sow all the main cabbage family, and then later transplant them to their final positions. In the 'Olden Days' we always sowed them in a carefully prepared seedbed, and some people still do. However you can just also sow them in a pot. We say a pot rather than a seed tray because you won't need that many and they will benefit from the deeper root-run. You can either prick out the seedlings when they are small into 2-3 inch (7cm) pots, or you can sow the seeds in a big deep pot and transplant the young plants to their final position when about 3ins (7.5cm) tall. If you're doing this, instead of sowing them in seed compost, sow them straight into the same kind of mixture you'd use for potting on seedlings into 7cm pots. Mix half and half multipurpose compost and soil-based John Innes, or sterilised topsoil. Add a good pinch of garden lime (not slaked lime!). Keep the plants well fed and well watered as they grow - use a high-nitrate plant food like a liquid lawn food (not tomato food, which will have quite the wrong effect) - or topdress with a pinch of dried blood.
One advantage of growing brassica seedlings in pots is that you can keep an eye on them at home. If you don't have a garden at home, you are better off growing them in a seedbed. where they will be less vulnerable to drying out.
It's normal to sow all the main cabbage family, and then later transplant them to their final positions. In the 'Olden Days' we always sowed them in a carefully prepared seedbed, and some people still do. However you can just also sow them in a pot. We say a pot rather than a seed tray because you won't need that many and they will benefit from the deeper root-run. You can either prick out the seedlings when they are small into 2-3 inch (7cm) pots, or you can sow the seeds in a big deep pot and transplant the young plants to their final position when about 3ins (7.5cm) tall. If you're doing this, instead of sowing them in seed compost, sow them straight into the same kind of mixture you'd use for potting on seedlings into 7cm pots. Mix half and half multipurpose compost and soil-based John Innes, or sterilised topsoil. Add a good pinch of garden lime (not slaked lime!). Keep the plants well fed and well watered as they grow - use a high-nitrate plant food like a liquid lawn food (not tomato food, which will have quite the wrong effect) - or topdress with a pinch of dried blood.
One advantage of growing brassica seedlings in pots is that you can keep an eye on them at home. If you don't have a garden at home, you are better off growing them in a seedbed. where they will be less vulnerable to drying out.
You will always need to protect your plants from pigeons. Click here to go to our section on protecting your plants from birds. The vulnerable times are when the plants are very young and tender, and during cold winter weather when the birds will perch on top of the plants to eat the young growth.
Loose heads on cauliflowers are usually the result of too much movement of the roots in light soils. Click on the pic for a link toi a fascinating blog about growing vegetables in the very different climate of Texas!
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Remember that bit about firm anchorage for the roots? None of the cabbage family like loose, fluffy soil round their roots. What is perfect for other plants is misery for brassicas. If adding manure to the soil (and cabbages do love manure) add it in the autumn for spring planting, so it doesn't fluff the soil up too much. And when planting, really firm the youngsters in. Old gardeners used to firm them in with the heel of their boot!!!
Even if well firmed in, the wind can blow the plants about and loosen their roots. This is called 'lodging' and is the cause of loose, messy cauliflowers and poorly-formed open sprouts. To be on the safe side, many gardeners stake their plants and tie them in well with string during the autumn. This may seem a fag but does yield results. |
