Help - I haven't a clue what I'm doing

[Mikey joe]

Hello

Firstly please excuse my ignorance in the following questions. I have only started gardening and I'm not sure what to do about a number of things.

1. My cabbage and brussels sprouts have been eaten to bits by something. I've sprayed with an organic bug control spray and that seems to have curtailed the problem but they have been badly damaged. Should I just dig them up or will they recover. The cabbage have formed (holey) heads and the sprouts have begum to appear?


2. My garlic leaves are about 9 inches high and have flopped. Not sure why they might have been over dry but no amount of watering has restored them - I know that the garlic is ready to harvest when the shoots have died back. Is this part of this process??

Thanks again for your help (in advance)

good luck with your own gardening

[nick the grief]

Hi MJ, welcome to the vine.

The cabbage probably won't recover if they are holey. cut one & have a look at how much untouched material there is. If it looks OK, you can leave them, if not I would cutthe tops of then cut a cross in the stalk & it will resprout to give you a few mini heads later on.

If you've cleared the brussels, they should be OK & may well recover enough to give you a crop.

For a guess I would say that it was cabbage white catapillars that nibbled everything.

Your Garlic sounds as though its ready for lifting & drying so lift one and have a look - if you try cooking with it be warned it will be stronger than the stuff you buy !

[Silverfox]

I agree. I think you have got the butterfly bites. If your cabbages are a good size then losing a few of the outer leaves should still leave you with a good size cabbage.

Garlic - I haven't grown them myself but plan to over winter, but from what I have been reading on the vine it sounds like they are ready to come up

[Mikey joe]

thanks for the advice folks

Thank you

Is it too late now to cut the heads of the cabbages?

They are minicole F1

|I'm worried that whatever has been eating them will have eaten through into the head.

I'll lift the garlic and see what it's up to

thanks again

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi MJ welcome to the Vine! Yep, I had the same problem with my cabbages, and ended up digging them out, well, what was left! Hopefully the broccoli and the sprouts will be ok. please keep everyone updated on your progress. dexterdog