Anyone grown Cabbage Filderkraut before?

[selfraising]

Have just sown some of these and wondered if anyone else has experience of growing them? I was also wondering if they might be more resistant to damage from cabbage white caterpillars and slugs because of their compact shape

[zazen999]

Yes, I grow them [I grow a few of many types].

They like a nice firm soil to firm up, but unfortunately they do get cabbage whited.......if you grow red then they tend to get less [but still some] CWs.

[selfraising]

Yes, I grow them [I grow a few of many types].

They like a nice firm soil to firm up, but unfortunately they do get cabbage whited.......if you grow red then they tend to get less [but still some] CWs.

Oh well out with the netting then Am only planning to grow a few and then some savoy types. Thought I'd try them cos they looked unusual

[pipscariad]

I grew some last year - well, technically No1 son did as it was his choice of veg for his bit of the plot. They suffered less from caterpillar damage than the savoy's (my new years resolution is to get the mesh over the brassica's!), and grew huge. I personally didn't like the flavour of them that much (nor did anyone else in the family, but they did get eaten), so won't be growing them again. (Good job as the seeds for them, plus many others, came to grief in my un-watertight box catastrophe!).

[selfraising]

I grew some last year - well, technically No1 son did as it was his choice of veg for his bit of the plot. They suffered less from caterpillar damage than the savoy's (my new years resolution is to get the mesh over the brassica's!), and grew huge. I personally didn't like the flavour of them that much (nor did anyone else in the family, but they did get eaten), so won't be growing them again. (Good job as the seeds for them, plus many others, came to grief in my un-watertight box catastrophe!).

Oh well I'll give them a go anyway. Clearly the caterpillars weren't too crazy on the flavour either

[chriscross1966]

One of the girls at work's dads grows them.... they are stupidly huge IMHO..... an 8kg head (once trimmed) is the thick end of 20lbs....she brought it back from Germany to make sauerkraut .... the raw bit I ate was OK but even so.... what are you planning on doing with a row of cabbages that can easily be 4 feet across the rosette?

[selfraising]

Hi chriscross! Wow I didn't realise they got that big!!! I do like sauerkraut but only up to a point! I think that based on what you say, I might have to re-think this one. Was just going to grow it because it looked unusual and to see what it was like but I won't have the room if they get that big. Thanks for the info, I could have ended up getting taken over by giant cabbages!

[vron]

Have only just seen this post, we grew filderkraut last year 2009, they were great.
We used the lower leaves fist by stripping them off the stalks until only the head was left. They then grew to a massive 3-4 foot tall so had to be staked. The beautiful pointed head weighed in at 10lbs and that was only the medium one, we never weighed the big triffid as we called the largest one. We are growing them again this year, we used them as normal cabbage, they are just a little stronger in taste but lovely.
Vron