A Debate: germinating Brassicas and other seedlings.

[John]

Hello Primrose
If you are keen on having some purple sprouting this year, there is an annual form called 'Spike'. It can be sown now and will give you a crop in the Autumn. The traditional stuff sown this year, of course, won't give you anything to eat until next year. I've grown it for the last few years and found it excellent (taste, easy to grow etc) provided you can keep all the summer brassica pests away from it. It's easy to manage as it doesn't grow too large like the old fashioned stuff. I get the seeds from Organic Gardening Catalogue.

John

PS I germinate brassica seeds outside in small trays or modules at this time of year on an old picnic table and grow on till small plant stage then they go into the ground.

[Primrose]

Thanks John, that's very interesting. I think this smaller variety might suit me quite well as my growing area is very limited and I do like the thought of being able to pick shoots during the summer rather than having to wait until March/April. Does it actually provide purple shoots in summer or do you just grow it for the green leaves?

[alan refail]

Hi Primrose

I have grown Spike very successfully as John suggests. Sown this year 10 April in modules.



Picture courtesy of Edwin Tucker Seeds

Give it a try.

Alan

[Mike Vogel]

Whenever I try growing brassicas [swedes, kohl rabi, calabrese] for summer / autumn use, I manage to get them planted on my allotment, where they suffer from lack of water, since I don't have so much time to get there in the evenings. so I have given up on the calabrese, but I'm still trying to do the swedes and KR. I start them in toilet-roll inners filled with potting compost and then plant them out. This year I am going to let them grow a lot bigger in the inners before I put them in the ground.

As for caulis and broccoli, I don't sow till May / June and always in the open air. They get planted out in July / Aug where the broad beans have been and where I have previously sown tares or clover for the nitrogen. I think I've been quite successful, getting Purple Cape heading brocc. in February/March, purple sprouting in Mar=rch/April and All-the-year-round caulis just finishing now. I protect them from cabbage white butterflies with fine wire mesh, but Enviromesh would be just as good.

Good luck

mike

[dewwex]

So i took your advice people.

and sowed a batch of 'Red Russian' Kale' and 'F1 Candissa' late summer cabbage, about ten days ago.

I made a cold frame, but constructed a fleece cover frame, instead of the usual glass/plastic lid.

The seeds are up now, and i must say i am very happy with them. The stem to the seed leaves is under 1 cm.

Bye the way, i sowed them 1cm deep in modules. (2" modules).

I am well chuffed. A big thank you to you all.

And sorry for going off on one! i vow to trying to keep my posts shorter , and more helpful in the future.

I just done a batch of 'tuscan kale','spike-broccoli','waltham-broccoli','january king-cabbage','savoy cabbage','purple sprouting broccoli','romenesco', 'violet queen- cauliflower'. these have been sown at 1.5 to 2cm. will be interesting to see if there nay difference in results.

But i defo think i am a convert to the cold frame. fingers crossed. X