Winter hardiness of Brassicas

[realfood]

You may have seen breakfast TV this morning, with farmers showing the devastation to their fields of Winter cauliflowers, due the the hard Winter.
My Winter brassicas are in reasonable shape apart from Jagallo Nero which is obviously not hardy.
The only Winter cauliflower that I have success with is Purple Cape. This old fashioned variety looks as if it is related to purple sprouting, as it has a larger central purple floret, which should head in April.
Any other suggestions for really hardy brassicas that have survived the last two Winters?

[realfood]

[saddad]

Purple Cape is ace... our purple sprouting has died...  :-X

[pigeonseed]

oh what a shame! My cavallo nero was fine, I thought it was indestructable! And PSB is ok, but a bit smaller the most people's. I don't grow other brassicas except mizuna, which the slugs ate and radish which I ate.   

[green lily]

Purple sprouting,well staked and netted against pigeons, Curly kale and red sprouts all survived a robust winter here in N.Lincs. Calabrese and spring cabbages have been fine in polytunnel without extra cover and it was pretty cool in there too but without the wind of course.In fact only 'disaster  was loss of overwintering broad beans. More now sprouting in tunnel so that seems sorted. :)

[fi]

Calve Nero in a sorry state this year and now in the compost! Dwarf curly kale, seems unaffected and been very hardy. Pixie cabbages productive last spring.

[Digeroo]

I lost all but three plants of purple sprouting and they have been well nibbled by the deer even though they are netted.  Sprout half of them very sad.  Kale looking very bonny.  One has been behind the water butt so the wind may be a feature.

Last year some of the purple sprouting grew from the roots so I have left some of the plants in hope.

Spring greens rather small but still alive and well. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Purple Cape's an interesting one; it's first recorded in 1808, before the end of the Little Ice Age. If those genes are still there, it should be hardy. It was originally listed as a form of broccoli, so the cauliflower heads could be a later development.

[lottie lou]

Red sprouts were well as are the collard greens.  Must eat them as I need to dig over the patch for my beans.

[kippers garden]

I lost all my purple sprouting broccoli and savoy cabbages, they rotted in the ground.  I also had some cauli's that i was overwintering in my cold greenhouse which also died.  My broadbeanseeds in pots in my cold greenhouse never surfaced either, they must have rotted.

It's a good job we don't rely on food from our allotments and we have the luxury of shops to buy from.  Years ago we would have starved after the last two winters.

Forgot to say that my spring cabbage has survived
   

[pumkinlover]

My brussels are the only thing to have done well- they are superb.
Cauli's PSB and Asparagus Kale (HSL) all mush.

[1066]

Any other suggestions for really hardy brassicas that have survived the last two Winters?

my Purple Cape survived as well! A little frosted on the tops but otherwise a cauliflower to be proud of  8). As to other varieties that seem to be doing ok, the Tarvoy cabbage looks a treat (and tastes good) and is really hearting up at the moment, plus a red leaved cabbage January King is looking good, haven't sampled them yet, and my Brussel Sprouts - Falstaff held out very well, now all eaten tho.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Dwarf curly kale and white sprouting broccoli are the only undamaged survivors here. Purple sprouting have all copped it, although they are a different strain to the usually hardy red arrow.

Forgot the sprouts....Trafalgar, been excellent, will grow them again.

[lottie lou]

It's a good job we don't rely on food from our allotments and we have the luxury of shops to buy from.     

At least we would have been a lot slimmer

[Robert_Brenchley]

If we had to grow it, we'd take a lot more care. Our parents would probably have had to grow it as well, and we'd have inherited a tradition.

[Morris]

I find the following totally hardy.  We are in Hampshire which is warmer, but had 18" snow previous winter and prolonged frost.  I lost a five year old Eucalyptus Debeuzevillei and an Escallonia Iveyii in a very sheltered, south facing position.  The brassicas below were all fine in a much more open spot:

Cabbage Tundra
PSB Red Arrow or Red Admiral
Kale Pentland Brig
Kale dwarf green curled.

I find cavalo nero and red russian not to be reliably hardy. I also get very little new growth on kale in the winter, so have to wait until spring for lush growth.  I put the dwarf kale under fleece this winter to see if it would give me winter greens to eat, but it hasn't done well at all and the plants look very feeble this spring, maybe it was too soggy.

Very sturdy pigeon netting required!!

PS I also had WSB White Star this winter which has actually come throughin pristine condition despite apparently being less hardy than PSB.

[Digeroo]

I lost all of Red Admiral and Red Arrow.  Only survivers were Moles and very few of them.