Brassicas to grow

[annie8]

Am perusing the seed catalogues. Always fun at this time of the year. Am thinking of growing brassicas this year. Does anyone of recommendations for cauliflower or cabbage varieties? Am thinking of trying kale too.

[burnie]

Romanesque is the only caulli that I have grown with any real success, it's also the only one I will eat, SWMBO likes it, not for me though. I have given up on Brassicas in the main as my soil is too thin, but I do grow a few Primo white ones in a raised bed for summer coleslaw.

[Nicos]

Have you thought of Cavolo Nero? (Aka Italian kale?)

We grow it every year.

[Bren In Pots]

I have no luck at all with cauliflower they just don't heart up my favourite brassica is Cavolo Nero I grow 10 plants and its plenty to keep us in greens just about all year round.

[Nicos]

^^^ I gave up growing caulies for that very reason.....tiny heads which would suddenly blow.

[SimpleSimon]

Am perusing the seed catalogues. Always fun at this time of the year. Am thinking of growing brassicas this year. Does anyone of recommendations for cauliflower or cabbage varieties? Am thinking of trying kale too.

Hispi or greyhound for summer cabbages. So tasty straight out the ground and cooked with a little butter and black pepper. Kale - do a few different ones and stagger them and you can pretty much eat it all year. It's alot less hastle than cabbages. You do need to net cabbages. Birds, butterflies, slugs, whitefly just love them.

Edit - forgot to say I had success this year with 'earliest of all' from premier seeds. Does exactly what it says on the tin and produced lovely summer cabbages.

[MelanieSW]

Over the last few years I've switched to perennial kale, growing Daubentons and Taunton Deane. Both very useful and after they've taken they don't need much looking after.
And will supplement it with a few Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and either calabrese or PSB.

[Penellype]

Cauliflowers are very hard to grow and are the only vegetables that I buy as plants rather than growing from seed. Maybach is a nice variety that matures in May or June from plants purchased in March, but it may be too late to get any for this year. I agree that Romanesco is a nice alternative to cauliflower - they are very big plants so you need plenty of space.

Hispi is a nice, reliable cabbage which matures fairly quickly. I like Red Russian kale which has rather softer leaves than some varieties.

[SimpleSimon]

Aye second vote for red russian. Super pretty plant as well. Bomb proof and lovely to eat. I've just got back from my plot which is frozen solid (it's currently -2 there) and the red russian kale is standing there like a soldier. It's not even drooping. The caverlo nero is standing tall too. Kale is great to grow, it's never ending and grows fine even in some shade.

[annie8]

Thanks. Will look at some red Russian as well as the cavalo Nero.

[Snadger]

I like Sweetheart cabbage but with it being an F1 variety the seeds are expensive. To offset this (and you can do it with any cabbage) I cut a cross in top of stem when harvesting. This usually encourages another four small Sweetheart cabbages to grow , so makes it more financially viable.

[annie8]

Do any of the brassica growers add lime to their brassica beds? Heard they might like that. My soil is not strongly acid or alkaline.

[Snoop Puss]

I don't add lime, but I have soil that tends towards being alkaline. What I have found extremely useful is a bit of boron. First year or so, I had amazing brassicas. Thereafter, rubbish. I found a fertiliser with trace elements that included boron and now I have no trouble with brassicas, even caulis, which only blow if I leave them too long. My fault, not theirs.

[Snadger]

I need to get rid of the wood ash from my log burner so it goes on the brassica bed to sweeten it up. As well as altering the pH it also adds a bit of potassium hence the reason I put it around fruit bushes as well.

[DannyK]

Have you thought of Cavolo Nero? (Aka Italian kale?)

We grow it every year.

But do you eat it?! Bought some to try and didn't like texture or flavour. Will stick to chard or is home grown better?