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So this year has been really poor for the veggies .... cold, wet, most veg small and late or a complete failure .... I sowed and planted loads of brassicas .... I should have had loads of broccoli, cauliflower etc, but so far had a grand total of just 2 heads of broccoli .... and everything else left looks miserable, poor .... my biggest cauliflower had a 4in head and has started rotting .... the next biggest got to 2in and now has 2 baby heads ....
What can I do to save the other veggies (esp brassicas) and try and get a crop from them?
What I have in the ground is roughly:
1 Romanesco cauliflower, 4in wide, looking good - don't want this to suddenly rot like the white cauli
1 Violetta cauliflower, 2in, looking ok so far
1 Violetta cauliflower, looks like it's "blown", with the head kind of "sprouting"
Several black kale, about 15in high - have had this over 3ft high in the past, still looks very small
Several cabbages (for harvest autumn just gone) that are nothing more than leaves and stalks (where pigeons have feasted) - no heads on them at all
Some spring cabbages that are nothing more than a few small leaves
Loads of All Year Round cauliflower, one with a rotting head, one with a double "baby" head, and the rest little more than a few small leaves
In pots, we have:
red cabbage - no heads, just the first few leaves
Curly green dwarf kale - still small, but we'll pick some leaves next weekend
Loads of PSB - some is labelled as ready to harvest in January, but no signs of any broccoli on them yet, just leaves
More cauliflower - just leaves
Is it too late to get a harvest from any of these??
Is it worth trying to cloche the ones in the ground? If so, any tips on making individual cloches for single plants?
I'm clearing out hte greenhouse this week - is it worth moving some of the pots inside the greenhouse?
Or am I better off scrapping the lot and hoping for a better year next year?
What can I do to save the other veggies (esp brassicas) and try and get a crop from them?
What I have in the ground is roughly:
1 Romanesco cauliflower, 4in wide, looking good - don't want this to suddenly rot like the white cauli
1 Violetta cauliflower, 2in, looking ok so far
1 Violetta cauliflower, looks like it's "blown", with the head kind of "sprouting"
Several black kale, about 15in high - have had this over 3ft high in the past, still looks very small
Several cabbages (for harvest autumn just gone) that are nothing more than leaves and stalks (where pigeons have feasted) - no heads on them at all
Some spring cabbages that are nothing more than a few small leaves
Loads of All Year Round cauliflower, one with a rotting head, one with a double "baby" head, and the rest little more than a few small leaves
In pots, we have:
red cabbage - no heads, just the first few leaves
Curly green dwarf kale - still small, but we'll pick some leaves next weekend
Loads of PSB - some is labelled as ready to harvest in January, but no signs of any broccoli on them yet, just leaves
More cauliflower - just leaves
Is it too late to get a harvest from any of these??
Is it worth trying to cloche the ones in the ground? If so, any tips on making individual cloches for single plants?
I'm clearing out hte greenhouse this week - is it worth moving some of the pots inside the greenhouse?
Or am I better off scrapping the lot and hoping for a better year next year?
Beats being stuck being a PC anyway, IMHO.
). I have a couple of 2" violettos in the tunnel and a couple of romanesco with just leaves. My outside ones have all rotted / been shredded by slugs. Ditto my cabbages - got a few summer cabbages, but the rest were eaten almost to the stalk before I picked them. I've now put most of my spring cabbages in the tunnel for safe(r) keeping, and I'm spending a lot of time with my fingers crossed... I still get pests in the tunnel of course, but the bad weather is easier to deal with in there and it's easier to keep an eye on the creepy crawlies.. I squished loads of cabbage butterfly caterpillars in the tunnel the other day, despite the frosty weather / rain / wind we're having at times! Good luck anyway - I'm hoping for better weather and better results next year!
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