Frost

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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robo
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I've got around 10 celery and 5 to 6 of each red cabbage and savoys all looking really good but at the back of my mind I keep hearing this voice ( no I'm not mad ) telling me to leave them until after the first frost I don't know we're this has come from maybe something I've read or a conversation I've heard or it could be something my father said to me years ago ,am I on the right lines or should I pull them now
tigerburnie
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Trench(or field) celery used to be pulled from November onwards when I used to fish in the Fens, we used to pick up the stuff that fell off the wagons on our way home. I thought Savoys were meant to stand over the winter
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
jeff64
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robo, sprouts are a lot tastier after a frost maybe your plants are the same?
robo
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I know sprouts are Jeff but I'm sure I've heard celery and savoys are the same if not I will be pulling some soon
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Primrose
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I was under the impression that all these plants were frost hardy but given your Northern location, if you haven't grown them previously and got any experience to go by, I'd pull a couple of the cabbages complete with all their roots and perhaps store them with some of the roots in a little water in buckets in your greenhouse. If they've got plenty of hearts it will probably take quite a while to eat your way through them.

The alternative of course would be to cover with a layer of fleece if this is possible.
Monika
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I don't know about celery but red and savoy cabbage are frost hardy. In the case of red cabbage you could also harvest them complete with root and hang them upside down in a cool place. That will keep them for a long time.
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Personally I would start taking as you need/want leaving the rest in the ground. The day length is shortening so they will slow down their growth & just sit as they are. The cabbages will be fine & shrug off any frost or snow, but I would protect the celery as that has a high water content so would not survive a heavy frost without significant cover, but from my experience that lovely protection is like a flashing sign to the slugs & snails which will see your celery off just as quick!
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Primrose
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Possibly a little early to start thinking of frost in our neck of the woods but I wonder if the same frost protection advice might apply to celeriac although the bulbous roots contain a lot less liquid than the stemmed variety so presumably less vulnerable to freezing temperatures? I'Ve previously left mine in over winter without noticing any harm but that was because I was always hoping they might grow a little larger!
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Hi Primrose!

I leave my celeriac to the elements too & not noticed too much damage, but you don't get much growth either so have to get them fairly big beforehand. The problem I find is the ones that are left until spring get a green mould on them & are often hollow, so think they do need to be harvested over the winter. Funny I was also thinking of giving them a little bit of protection this year, probably in the next week or so but mainly to keep them warm a wee bit longer to see if they continue to grow a bit, rather than protection.
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robo
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Everything is a good size now but I can't see me eating all the celery there's only two of us and Carol will be spending a bit of time in hospital from Sunday if all goes to plan ,still I have two daughters and a few fellow plotters to help me out
tigerburnie
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What type is it Robo?
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
robo
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To be honest I can't remember I did try growing it from seed but lot of them failed ,I picked a tray of seedlings up from a local garden centre then finished off with a few that did germinate
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