red cabbage

[karrot]

hi all,
     last year i planted some red cabbage (don't know what type) it didn't do very well at all, no heart to them just a few floppy leaves :'(.. does anybody know what happend?.
also after planting this lot i covered with green nylon mesh, will this be enough or should i change to fleece?

[karrot]

[jennym]

Not had much success with red cabbage myself, (have grown others fine though)will be interested to hear from those who are successful on how they do it.

[Tee Gee]

Quote; also after planting this lot i covered with green nylon mesh, will this be enough or should i change to fleece?

Why did you cover them? was it for bird/animal protection.

What was the mesh size?

What I am getting at is;  if you used shading mesh, you might have affected light levels.

Another guess;  is your soil quite light in texture? quite often with brassicas the harder the ground the harder the head.

Hope that helps!

[cleo]

Could be just bad luck?-my soil is light-useless for decent sprouts and caulies-but red cabbagewere fine. Not enough water?

[karrot]

hi,
the mesh I'm using is to keep off the birds,
I'm just copying others really, ;)
it lets in lots of light its only the cheep wide stuff, last year i used wire so definitely no shade there.
my soil? i really dint know its just dirt to me ;D, but giving it a stab i;d say heavy clay type stuff ;D
been over today and something has had a good munch already, threw a load of slug pellets down

[moonbells]

Karrot - what's your plot number? I'll pop over if I know you're there!

I grew red cabbages almost by accident this last season (ie I bought a punnet of seedlings when my summer white cabbs got pigeoned after the fleece blew off!).
I grew them at half the proper spacing as they had to fit in with the minicole grid. I usually plant by putting them in very high, then putting a thumb either side and leaning my weight into pushing down. Then fill in the hole I've now got, and push again.

Here's a couple of them:


where the larger one's about 6" across.

I planted my current year's red cabbs today - and I've got spares...

moonbells

[Mrs Ava]

I can grow green cabbage, sprouts and brocolli okay, but my red cabbages get to the size of a tennis ball and then stop dead!  if I want to use them I have to take several.  Am begining to worry if club root could be the cause!

[moonbells]

EJ - I have trouble with PSB! So far something's gone wrong every year for the past four or something's eaten the seedlings/transplants. Even resorted to the Dobies offer last summer and had 20 arrive - planted immediately, netted, same as the spring cabbages. The cabbs took off like rockets and the brocc was eaten within a week.

I guess you win some and lose some!

(Trying extra early 'Rudolph' this year. So far so good - germination is 100%)

moonbells

[Mrs Ava]

I guess it would be boring if everything behaved text book.  Us gardeners would get bored, we like a challenge, we thrive on battling the beasties and worming out the weeds, so in the end, I will conquer red cabbage and you will win PSB!  ;D

[moonbells]

I flipping hope so...  8)

moonbells

[karrot]

hi ;
moonbells hi, I'm plot 80 & 81, you'll know when I'm there, you can here me shouting at the children to get their heads out of the water butt :D.
I'm about to plant psb from seed am i to late? but from what you've said i needn't bother ; ;D

[moonbells]

hi ;
moonbells hi, I'm plot 80 & 81, you'll know when I'm there, you can here me shouting at the children to get their heads out of the water butt :D.
I'm about to plant psb from seed am i to late? but from what you've said i needn't bother ; ;D

I only just sowed mine!
Nah, you'll be fine, they're just my personal bugbear!
I think everyone gets one. Carrots (sorry...) are the usual one up at C. Road. I've been told not to bother with peas yet others say they grow well...

Might be scarce for a week or two thanks to work but will hopefully see you after then. Will only be up there tomorrow if I turn into a duck or the forecast is wrong!

moonbells

[karrot]

ahha now carrots;   carrots i can grow well by the ton.
peas are also my bugbear but i will never give up trying, the children love them and they are soooo expensive

[Merry Tiller]

I read somewhere recently that red cabbages like to be sown in late autumn & overwintered

[RSJK]

Karrot, when did you sow your red cabbage, that could have some thing to do with it.

[Mrs Ava]

I have tried that MT.  They grow quickly in the autumn, stop during the winter, and then either bolt come spring, or just go oooogggeeee and smelly and end up on the compost heap.

[Merry Tiller]

I think it was in a Percy Thrower book, possibly due to different varieties grown 30 years ago?

[karrot]

They are about 5" tall with 5/6 leaves & at the moment looking very healthy :D planted them out last Saturday.
last years failiers were brought from a farmers market stall, as it was my first time planting anything i thought it might be easier getting plants, i must say i did plant them out middle to late summer. maybe Ive just answered my question ;D

[Svea]

i had good success with red cabbages, better than the white. but both were too early from a march sowing/early may planting so i am leaving it late this year. will sow later this month and plant out in june or something, thus hoping for autumn crops (as opposed to august cabbage - i certainly didnt fancy it then!)

[RSJK]

Agree with you Svea about the sowing time for red cabbage, about the middle of May  for me, as well as cauliflower for autumn cutting.