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Brassicas

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Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and Kale.

Brassicas,  also known as cruciferous vegetables are actually plants from the  Mustard family, they include vegetables such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and Kale which are all known as leafy vegetables, but cultivars such as   Rutabaga and Turnips are grown as root crops, and some are grown for seeds, such as Mustard seed and Rape seed (for oil) and there are even some varieties which are grown as ornamentals due to their attractive yellow and purple heads .

           

            Cabbage                             Broccoli                                 Kale                        Brussels Sprouts

Brassicas are considered a very valuable food source due to their high nutritional levels and excellent fiber content, they are considered to have anti cancer properties and should not be over cooked by boiling, the best way to preserve the anti cancer compounds is by steaming or stir frying.

Planting cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli can be done directly into garden beds, but if its mid winter its best to wait until the threat of frosts has passed, an early start can be gained by planting in heated seed raising trays and setting out in the garden beds once the seedlings are strong enough.

If transplanting seedlings be very careful not to damage the root structure  and dont leave the seedlings too long so they get root bound, Brassicas have fibrous root structure and to damage this would result in deformed heads and poor growth.

Plant seedlings or seeds 12 to 24 inches apart and in rows about 24  inches apart, they have shallow roots and so need regular water, roots are easily damaged by allowing the soil to dry out, try to avoid this. Be aware of the shallow roots also when weeding, to take care not to damage the roots.

Brassicas are prone to infestation by cabbage moth larvae and should be sprayed with an organic insecticide such as garlic spray or one of the many organic insecticides available, I will expand on organic pest control in a later post.

 Cauliflower

Cauliflower

Cauliflower needs to be “blanched”, as the heads develop to about 3 inches across by taking the outside leaves and folding them over the heads and tying them down with rubber bands or snapping the leaves so they stay covering the white heads, exposure to the sun can result in green heads, blanching is usually done for about a week, some varieties are self blanching and grow with the outer leaves naturally covering the heads as they grow.

 


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