PSB advice please

[nelliegemini]

Well I have decided to give psb a try, but instead of a nursery bed, I am planning a few plants in pots of gradually increasing sizes, until they are in b&q orange buckets (1 each) and then eventually they will go in a bed against a wall where I grow my toms, when those come out in September/October. That particular bed would otherwise be empty until the following April.

No idea if this is going to work, but I have nothing to lose by trying (the seeds cost about 20p!) and I'll be dead chuffed if it works!

Last time I grew them in one of my raised beds, but they took so long to mature that I lifted them and put them in pots when quite large (in about Jan I think) (against advice!) - only have a couple of raised beds so room is important. Luckily they thrived and cropped well. This time they have been in florist's buckets from first planting and are aaaallllmooost ready!

[Oleander]

Last time I grew them in one of my raised beds, but they took so long to mature that I lifted them and put them in pots when quite large (in about Jan I think) (against advice!) - only have a couple of raised beds so room is important. Luckily they thrived and cropped well. This time they have been in florist's buckets from first planting and are aaaallllmooost ready!

Ooooh interesting - buckets are the way to go then! I'll be sowing at the week-end! Did you just use multicompost?

[nelliegemini]

Ooooh interesting - buckets are the way to go then! I'll be sowing at the week-end! Did you just use multicompost?

Yep - just cheap stuff. Gave them a handfull of pelleted chicken manure when the weeds started growing (if weeds are growing everything needs feeding in my opinion!)

[Sanjo]

Last time I grew them in one of my raised beds, but they took so long to mature that I lifted them and put them in pots when quite large (in about Jan I think) (against advice!) - only have a couple of raised beds so room is important. Luckily they thrived and cropped well. This time they have been in florist's buckets from first planting and are aaaallllmooost ready!

Now that is interesting. Never thought of putting them in buckets. I am going to be so short of space (have overdone the spuds!!) that may well help me out.
I know they can suffer from wind rock so perhaps a supporting cane would help, and also, at the moment they are at the end of the garden. Hmmmmm, if they were in buckets I could move them nearer the back door as the weather gets cooler in autumn. Yep, definitely worth a think that one. Thanks for the idea.

[Jenegade]

Last time I grew them in one of my raised beds, but they took so long to mature that I lifted them and put them in pots when quite large (in about Jan I think) (against advice!) - only have a couple of raised beds so room is important. Luckily they thrived and cropped well. This time they have been in florist's buckets from first planting and are aaaallllmooost ready!

That's interesting!! I was just about to ask if anyone grew them in pots, I was going to grow some too, but have no space at the moment in the garden and we might be moving again later in the year! Thanks Nelliegemini!

[feefeelalabelle]

hi all, just been reading through ther thread and i get the impression that it takes about a year to get any brocolli off these, is this right? my plants are about 10cms tall now but i thought they would sprout this year. many thanks

[vegnut]

I have been harvesting mine for around 2 weeks now. I grew them in a nursery bed and transferred them to their growing position last june/july. I put them in ground that had not been dug for years as an experiment and they loved it, the wind has taken some of them down to about 45 degrees but they are still solid. They were netted (the black stuff) all through the summer and winter so no pidg or flutterbys damage. this seems to have worked for me. 12 sown and 12 grown and survived.

[greendean]

my first year for psb. think i will try a bit of everything from previous threads and see what happens. i will set aside a dedicated area for them and catchcrop with some salad stuff. pot some up and leave in a sheltered spot (these could be moved to where there others are if any casulties) and dot some about in the garden allotment. sorted!

just sowed some earky and late psb with some green calabrese for good measure

[jackie j]

I grew these last year and moved them to thin them out cos I dropped the pkt doh !! I lost a few but the ones that survived I have just picked this week and we had it for tea last night but OH and daughter didnt like it so I might not bother again cos they do take a long time and a lot of room.

[Sanjo]

hi all, just been reading through ther thread and i get the impression that it takes about a year to get any brocolli off these, is this right? my plants are about 10cms tall now but i thought they would sprout this year. many thanks

Feefee are these the ones you have just bought from ebay? 10cm (had to go and find a ruler - only do English!) is a little plant. They take about 10 months to produce, so don't expect broccoli this year. Have just checked my early sprouting seed packet and it's sow indoors March and harvest February!! Hope that helps Sanjo

[Flummery]

BUT it's harvested when there's less fresh stuff than usual. Also you can sow it in Spring and plant it out when early summer crops have been eaten - early spuds for example. So really you are using the ground twice. I think there's a lot to be said for it as a crop.

[Lazgaot]

I'm trying these for the first time this year....not convinced though as I've seen other allotmenteers with PSB's and the produce is...well...only a dozen or so spears of produce for a large plant that sits there all year taking up room and sucking up nutients!

[greendean]

BUT it's harvested when there's less fresh stuff than usual. Also you can sow it in Spring and plant it out when early summer crops have been eaten - early spuds for example. So really you are using the ground twice. I think there's a lot to be said for it as a crop.

thanks flum

thats just sorted that out. seedbed then potato bed afterwards
do i need to fertilize between crops? if so what's best?

thanks

[Flummery]

thanks flum

do i need to fertilize between crops? if so what's best?

thanks

I don't - I just make sure my spud bed is well manured. (Or blood, fish and bone-mealed)

[greendean]

well manured it is then. now what can i grow in my now redundant brassica beds???