Growing brassicas

[chadspad]

Whats the secret to growing cabbages, sprouts, cauli & broccolli? I have tried these twice now but each time they bolt and either end up with no veg at all on them or what is on them is inedible - the cauli grew a tiny bit, then went mouldy, the sprouts are all loose and full of bugs, the broccolli just grew for the sky and cabbages dont grow very much before splitting open. I dont want to waste time growing them again without some more info. Thanks

[Wombat]

These are all cool weather crops, how hot has it been over there, mate?

Nev

[chadspad]

Hi Nev,

They have got them for sale now as plants to put out and its still hot here - in the mid-30s. The other years I have probably planted them out around the same time then as I get them from a local garden centre.
Other peoples seem to do OK tho, maybe they have them in shady spots or water them loads? If they are supposed to be for colder weather, what does the garden centre expect u to do with them - store them but not plant them?

Wendy

[Wombat]

G'Day Wendy,

That really craps me off!

It happens here too - full price for old, leggy, or out of season veggies and anything up to $4 per punnet! I suppose they figure that they start 'em, then when we buy 'em it's our problem that the season is wrong!

Some varieties do better than other so it might be best to read up and get some seeds for varieties that do well in hot weather. Having said that, I got two varieties of organic broccoli seeds this year and tried several times and had nothing come up!

Nev

[albert onglebod]

Mine are in the shady side of the plot (unintentionally) and arent too bad,its been really hot here too. Not sure what the brussels are going to be like as they are about 3 feet tall but not got any actual sprouts yet.

[Han&Matt]

Afraid I have no expert advice as this is my first year of growing brassicas (winter cabbage, cauliflower and broccali). All I do know is the following:
1. Pigeons love them. If we don't net them, they disappear overnight.
2. White fly and caterpillars are a constant pest
3. They need lots more space than I had orginally thought
4. They better taste nice as they have been a royal pain in the backside
However, they were planted in the summer (no shade), and its been hot, and they are still going strong (holes/missing leaves aside).
I will try to remember to update the thread if I get any harvest and let you know how my first brassica year went - the novice way. Got to be worth it, I love homemade coleslaw soo much!
Good luck...and remember, leeks are easier...

[ina]

Success with brassicas also depends on the soil - they need it quite heavy. They never did well in my father's garden (sandy - very good for potatoes, though!).

Btw, leeks are easier ? Somehow I never end up with more than spring onions sized baby leeks!

[Shirley]

Btw, leeks are easier ? Somehow I never end up with more than spring onions sized baby leeks!

Ahh but they are still tasty.... and the supermarkets charge much more for them so they must be good, right!!?

[chadspad]

I tend to do alright with leeks, the ground is soooo hard but they manage to push their way thru OK.
Maybe I should sow some seeds of brassicas now and see how they compare to the plants, cos the plants aint been anything special so far. At least then the seeds will become plantsz later when the weather has cooled a little.

[chadspad]

I planted a cauli and a cabbage plant in pots with good compost and in the shade. The others I planted outside in the duff earth of the veg patch in full sun. Needless to say, the ones in the pots are 3 times the size of the ones outside. Seems as tho the others will not do any better than previous years outside.
Is there any reason I cant grow all of them in pots? Would I need huge pots per plant?

[Han&Matt]

Can't help really, excpet to say that my winter cabbages are enormous - huge leaves, but very teeny stems which appear to be the delicate part of the plant - maybe in pots the weight of the plants when fully grown would snap the stalks in windy conditons (a balance thing?). Maybe I am talking rubbish... I think you'd need pretty big pots.

[Millymollymandy]

I don't see why you can't grow them in pots - or at least have a try! I expect they would need reasonably sized pots - not necessarily for the rootball but just to balance them against being top heavy. Tall things will need staking I should think and they'd need to be put somewhere sheltered from strong winds. But then again you'd probably need to stake tall brassicas in the veg patch anyway in winter.

So be our guinea pig and try this experiment and report back to us!!!

[chadspad]

Thanks Guys,
Reckon Im gonna give a couple a go then!!