Grow Your Own Magazine

I haven't grown brassicas through the autumn and winter before. I have loads of strong plants of Purple sprouting, spring cabbage, sprouts, curly kale and savoy cabbage. I was advised to grow them in pots until really strong as ground is very sandy. I've incorporated mushroom compost and was going to sprinkle over some fish, blood and bone meal. Do I need to get some cabbage collars too?

Hi Craftyslh, you might get away without cabbage collars as there won't be many cabbage flies around over autumn / winter but why not put some round anyway just in case & the plants may still be in the ground when they are active again next year. You don't have to buy fancy ready-made collars you could make your own out of stiff cardboard or the odd offcut of carpet,underlay or similar (some people don't like to use carpet because of chemicals in some fbres used). I cut up some old car mats & they worked fine.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Hi, i always make my own from cardboard and they work just fine. Like Sue says, put some around your plants just in case.

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And when you're back stops aching,
And you're hands begin to harden.
You will find yourself a partner,
In the glory of the garden.

Rudyard Kipling.

Or grow them under enviromesh or fleece and you won't have to worry about the varmints!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Is ordinary netting enough? Never heard of cabbage collars before, but didn't have any probs (apsart from slugs) with the plants bought from GC earlier this year - got great cabbags and brocolli and caulis coming well now.

Oooh thanks for this. I do have a couple of packs of fleece, so think that's the best option, it will keep them nice and snug too, so hopefully that will help.

How big is the mesh on your "ordinary" netting? The flies are small and you will need a product like Enviromesh (very small gauge netting) or some horticultural fleece to keep them off.

In my area you would be considered lucky to avoid any attack so far, although your plants had probably been treated with a chemical by the garden centre. Young plants are the most vulnerable and as they mature the growth of the plant is such that the maggots can't do much harm.

You may be lucky and find that, in your area, root fly is quite unusual. Then you're laughing!