Monday 4 June 2012

Happy Brassica Day

Here's a hundred brassica plants - cabbage (red & green), brussels, broccoli - that I planted out today. 



Not only did I plant them out, I watered them in, collared each with a tar paper collar, sprinkled them with slug pellets and netted them. They look a a bit bedraggled just now but they will pick up again. After that, dare I say it, I wouldn't mind if it rained.

So that's soft fruit, potatoes and brassicas taken care of. Next on the list carrots, alliums and beans.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Mal, Wow, you're really protecting them. My broccoli plants have absolutely no protection at all apart from the deer fencing enclosure, but after seeing this entry I'm started to see that I should do more. I should have gotten wise after the (what I think was a) hare attack. Would you please explain what the collars and netting are against, and how to attach the collar? Do you buy them or make them yourself? I'm still such a newbie! :) Thanks Laura

    ReplyDelete
  2. do you think 100 is enough??? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. We were doing exactly the same thing yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Here is raining so I can't do nothing, I'm not really happy in this moment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Laura We have trees and lots of pigeons lining in them alongside our site. The nets are to keep them off. The collars are to stop the cabbage root fly laying it's eggs (which it does at the base of the stem). You can make your own but I rely on the only proprietory brand I am aware of. The slug pellets are obviously for slugs and snails. Of course brassicas have many other possible pests and diseases - but lets not go overboard! The collars slip onto the stem and as the plant stem grows it tightens

    Olly - 100 is not enough. I've got 10 rows of ten different brassicas. Some are early some late- as late as next spring - I still have to remove last years kale from the old brassica patch. Some will thrive but some will not do well for one reason or another (prevailing conditions - pests - diseases). If I had more room I'd grow more. Instead any new planting will be limited to filling in the gaps from cropping or failures.

    Sue - So happy the rain has abated!

    Mr F - Sorry to hear it hasn't with you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You've been busy! The plants always look a bit knackered when they first go into the ground. Hope you get a big harvest.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well the rain we've had in the last 24 hrs should help them pick up, Kelli!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Excellent effort Mal. I'm dead jealous, haven't got anything done for a week, rained off again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Still haven't got my brassicas in...but at least I know why it's raining again!!!

    ReplyDelete