cabbage and broccoli

[Dotski McWellie]

Hello nice people,

I have been lucky enough to get and allotment at the end of Feb. T'is wonderful for me as I always loved gardening but by bad luck moved to a house with a north facing awful tiny plot. So with my sunny allotment I am so happy. But in my little house I planted summer cabbage and broccoli in a seed tray being sure I would be able to tell the difference. I have turned the tray round so many times I don't know which is cabbage and which is broccoli. There is a slight difference ..but I need clever people to help me!!

PS when I read the other posts I decide all gardeners are lovely!!! someone please say hello!!

Dotski

[fiveravens]

Hallo Dotskie,
It's not so easy to differentiate brassicae in the seedling stage. A lot depends on the variety. Taking one thing with another, I would expect the summer cabbage to have smoother, more rounded leaves than the broccoli. It won't make much difference, anyway, will it? Worst case, you get your cabbages where you wanted your broccoli and vice versa!
PS All gardeners are not lovely - I'm a right old bas***rd

[Flummery]

Hi, I'd suggest that as long as you plant you A plants in one bed and your B in another - so they aren't mixed up - then it won't matter.

Welcome to the miserable old grumpies' forum!

[Dotski McWellie]

Oh such fun to hear from you both. Having just gazed for a few more minutes at my seed tray I decided I should have substituted 'absolutely no' for 'slight' on the difference front - but in terms of major life traumas we are talking nil. Mind having said that the charming thing about loads of these posts is they are at a similar level of low relative existential crisis. Just on a hunch - if both of you would claim more to the miserable old digger end of the spectrum, may I enquire as to whether you both enjoy free and abandoned use of chemical products in your gardening? I only ask because down on our allotment all the grumpy old souls with plots to die for seem to scoff at any young 'uns who march in determined to be organic. I have already deployed my first slug pellets which would de-frock me from the organic camp right away - but I am nothing but an innocent in all matters. So - does grumpy + spade = growmore then ? :-)

[fiveravens]

Not on my patch! - no artificial fertilizers and no chemical sprays. I have a sizeable orchard, a small vineyard, soft fruit, a vegetable garden and a flock of free-range hens; they're all productive and my yearly total chemical bill is: 0.00!

[Flummery]

I might be a grumpy beggar but I'm not quite that old! The only thing I use that's not organic is the occasional use of glyphosate to tackle really stubborn weeds amongst shrubs where it's not practical to dig them out. As to insects - I encourage birds who scoff them up. I have 3 small ponds full of frogs, lots of toads, not much gets past them. Pigeons and cabbage whites I net against. I prefer to deter rather than slaughter. Actually, I'm not all that grumpy am I? Maybe I'm nicer than I thought!

[Dotski McWellie]

thank you both for your replies. I don't really want to chuck chemicals on the earth at all. But it is so interesting to hear from different camps. I just want to drink in advice and experience. I am worried that if I am not careful I will lose you two people as you seem to reply and be so kind to everyone. Is it ok for you to add me as a buddy even if I am a not very helpful buddy? If I knew I could post a question to either of you that would be lovely. I am so lucky in that I have a wonderful allotment - but so many questions about red ants, cleaning out water butts and slugs. If either of you would let me email you silly questions rather than post to the world I would be really grateful. I am not big on public broadcast yet but I have lots to talk about.

[fiveravens]

Go on then - I'll do my best; if you don't get an answer, it's not because I'm being grumpier than normal, it's because I sometimes don't get to turn on this infernal machine (which I detest) for days on end. Just remember - a lot of the questions you're asking are ones that other people would like to hear the answer to as well. Beginners' questions are not silly: the silly thing is not to ask them. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[Flummery]

OK. Hey everyone, I've got a buddy!

[Dotski McWellie]

Ok - I've done half and half. I've asked Flummery a question about red ants - and taken on board fiveravens advice to not assume a stupid question won't be of interest to others. I'll quit this thread now - and try be brave enough to ask another open question. Is anybody as naff as me and shy about having a voice that goes out to loads of people? Does it take time to feel ok to ask away I wonder? I am just full of so many questions I really worry if I asked them all I'd be given a site asbo. But to put the initial question to bed I am going to pot the broccoli / cabbage into individual pots tomorrow. I learned a lot of my gardening from my lovely dad who is now long since RIP - one of his mainstays was the humble vending cup - which I have used as well. probably modern practice has moved on - but funnily enough I did some seeds in the Tesco (other supermarkets are available) vending cups and some in fibre pots and the vending cups were consistently the best. Oh dear. Am I really posting this drivvel?? But I am so enjoying this forum!!!

[sewer rat]

Hi Dotski (cool name BTW )
Any chance of you posting pics? If I can see them I should be able to tell you which are cabbage and which are broccolli.

[Dotski McWellie]

nothing would give me greater pleasure Mr Rat (- or do you mind me calling you Sewer?) but I haven't sussed the posting of pix just yet. But give me 24 hours and your screen will be filled with the alluring delights of my seed tray and contents. BTW I assume it was the wellies bit of my Monika which was so alluring :-)

[Tracey]

thank you both for your replies. I don't really want to chuck chemicals on the earth at all. But it is so interesting to hear from different camps. I just want to drink in advice and experience. I am worried that if I am not careful I will lose you two people as you seem to reply and be so kind to everyone. Is it ok for you to add me as a buddy even if I am a not very helpful buddy? If I knew I could post a question to either of you that would be lovely. I am so lucky in that I have a wonderful allotment - but so many questions about red ants, cleaning out water butts and slugs. If either of you would let me email you silly questions rather than post to the world I would be really grateful. I am not big on public broadcast yet but I have lots to talk about.

Hi Dotski, Welcome to the Vine, Sorry I can't help you with your broccoli/cabbage seedling id. I've enjoyed reading your posts, please continue, as a fellow novice I and others will benefit from your questions.

Tracey

[fiveravens]

Hi Dotski, Welcome to the Vine, Sorry I can't help you with your broccoli/cabbage seedling id. I've enjoyed reading your posts, please continue, as a fellow novice I and others will benefit from your questions.

Tracey

See Dotskie? Told you so!