Full blown Spring Bits and Bobs. - 2017

[PLUMPUDDING]

I always put a few caulies in Primrose but have very variable results. They seem to like firm soil and need to be kept watered so they don't get any checks to their growth. I seem to do better with the summer ones like Mayflower, although I once grew the All year round variety and after occupying their space for - a year - they all produced beautiful massive heads all at once and I had to think up recipes and give some away so they weren't wasted. I'm not keen on frozen caulies.

[Pa Snip]

One of the jobs for today is checking out (and watering) the overwintered brassica's.
Some of the purple sprouting is running straight to seed.

[Pa Snip]

There is nothing like the sight of cauliflowers growing in a row with the whit a heads pushing through the green leaves we had some crackers last year this year was rubbish

Wish I could see that on our site.

[Pa Snip]

Have I Made a Faux Pas

I loaned my rotavator to a couple of other plot holders on site.

Both having rotavated their plots it was returned to me, I then found out some days later that one of the plots has had, in the mid distant past, a problem with club root.

The rotavator was cleaned off as best as possible on return to me but I now fear a risk of cross contamination. Think I will give the rotavator a good clean off and disinfect (Jeyes) it before using it on my plot again.

Lesson learned.

[Primrose]

Loaning equipment to other people is always a bit of a gamble. Over the years we have suffered a damaged lawnmower and broken shears. The worst thing is people who package things up nicely after use and don't tell you anything is wrong so you pack it away and only discover the damage possibly weeks or months later at which point it,s rather late to point out the damage.

I once broke my next door neighbiurs extending pruning pole but didn,t hand it back until it had been repaired. I think you're right to clean and disinfect your rotivator but it's a pain you should have to do this. I wonder how many other plots have been contaminated over the years by innocent importation of noxious weeds in this way. . I blame the arrival of oxalis into our garden on the probable accidental importation of it in pots of plants from garden centres. We certainly never had any when we first arrived here.

[oldherbaceous]

With caulis, you need to get a decent plant growing at an early stage, or you won't ever get a decent head forming. I would say caulis do like the soil on the heavier side, but also don't like a heavy waterlogged soil for the over-wintering varieties. If you haven't got the ideal conditions for them, you could trying a weekly liquid feed for them, from an early age. They also like a drop of lime and this seems to help the plants.
They seem to have the same sort of requirements as Celeriac.....so if you can't grow one, you will struggle with the other.

[Ricard with an H]

I haven't read any of this thread, I'm reporting-in to allay fears I may finally have over-done things and joined the dust I came from.

Not-so, though I have been struggling to plant 110 hedging plants in ground that consists of 50/50 soil and stone.

It's done, now I'm working on catching up with the weeding you-all did three months ago and I still didn't complete the bedrooms decoration after new carpets.

New-News; The mole catcher caught two moles and was confident they caused most of the problems I had. One mole took three different types of trap to catch her. Two moles in an acre and a half ?

Question ; I have a parsley plant from last season grown into a bush, it still tastes good. What do I do ?

Information ; last year for the first time I have a massive success with compost by composting in a builders bag though I did include worms. This year, same fabulous compost out of a builders bag. I never-ever made compost this good before.

Back to the labour.

[Pa Snip]

Following on from my earlier comment about cauli's

I was just leaving the plot when I noticed that my overwintered purple sprouting broccoli was ready for cutting.
Needed food so came back home with a view to leaving it until tomorrow.

Quick bite and a cuppa and decided weather being good today I would return to plot, removed netting covering both Cauli's and Purple Sprouting and at that point it became obvious he Cauli's were also ready.

Cut 8 cauli's varying in weight between 1 x 8oz and 1 x 3lb, 6 being just either side of 2lb each. If I hadn't noticed them they would have certainly gone past their best in a day or two.

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[Pa Snip]

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Really quite chuffed with those given that most people on site have no success with either

[Primrose]

I foresee you eating cauliflower cheese for the foreseeable future. I'm to.d it makes a good substitute for rice if finely minced but as,ve never tried that. They do keep fairly well if broken up stored in a polythene bag in the fridge but most fridges are generally too full to have much space available for that kind of storage. It's one vegetable I've never tried freezing because I've never succeeded In growing enough to have that dilemma. Incidentally how many of you eat the green leaves and stalks? I usually save the white ribs in the leaves and chop them up to include in a minestrone type soup.

[Pa Snip]

It's just as well we love Cauliflower cheese

[Geoff]

Richard, just keep using the Parsley until it flowers, even then you can use it for a bit longer just by cutting the flowers off. Glad your back. I've rollered a bedroom ceiling, hall and stairs ceiling, cut in the hall and stairs and then rollered the walls today, knackered, gardening is easier than decorating for son. Bought the house in a rush so couldn't haggle but I think the kids must have done the decorating. Looking forward to second coat of the same tomorrow and the bedroom walls!!

[Westi]

Hi Primrose

I do OK with cauliflowers, but only in the last 2 years. My soil is sandy & although I fed them previously, they didn't do well. What I have found is they like more feed than you expect, so I choose their summer spot in Winter, and vice versa. I have gone back to 6X chicken fertilizer but not the pellets & I sprinkle loads over the soil along with any finished plants or not ready compost and cover it with the black plastic for the winter / late Summer. When I uncover & dig it all in (which is so easy with it being covered), I feed again with more 6X. My beds are 10 - 12ft x 4ft & I use 1/2 a small old frying pan full per bed, which is well over the recommended amount.

They also hate root rock so when they get full size & before heading up, each one is staked independently. Here is a pic of my Summer Cauli's today (also mulched btw, both winter & summer), and one I grew last year.

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[Monika]

Well done, all you successful cauliflower growers! Overwintering caulis do ok with me but I resent the amount of space each plant takes up for such a long time for just one cauli, but summer caulis have always defeated me. As we have to net almost all our plantings and especially brassicas, it's always a gefuffle to water them, so perhaps I don't do so enough.

[oldherbaceous]

I just caught a glimpse of the weather on Countryfile last night, it didn't really say -6 for one night this week, did it?