Planting overwintering brassicas

[Worldor]

We have received a delivery of brassicas and have planned the area to plant them. The area was previously used by the former plot holder for sweetcorn. We have dug over and manured the area. What else do we need to keep in mind before and during planting please?

[nick the grief]

You needn't have dug it over Worldor, they are supposed to like it firm - I usually put mine where I can so who knows

Not a lot that need to be done, you could give them a bit of protection with some bottle cloches for a week or some but they are pretty tough. You won't need to water them in if the weather keeps up !

Then in the spring they will benefit from a bit of Hi nitrogen fertiliser & enjoy.

[Worldor]

Thank you. What do you feel about corn being grown there before?

[Burnzie]

Might be worth covering them with netting to keep the pigeons off.

[nick the grief]

Thank you. What do you feel about corn being grown there before?

Won't be a problem as they are differnet families, Sweetcorn is a member of the Grass family I think like Bamboo, wonder if I can eat all that twitch......

[dexterdoglancashire]

my sweetcorn are still growing! at least now they've got a bit of "meat" to them. may have a look tomorrow, oops, later today to see how they are getting on! looking forward to eating my first sweetcorn! yum yum! dexterdog

[heebiejeebie]

oooohhh spooky - I've just cleared my sweetcorn (no crop worth speaking of) to make way for overwintering brassicas too.
I would recommend protection - I planted a few cabbages a fortnight ago and they have been razed to the soil.

[Worldor]

We have built a brassica cage from our old gazebo. A bit on the tall side but hope it will do the trick.

[dexterdoglancashire]

what got your brassicas HJ? dexterdog

[Snadger]

Cutworms are my bugbear! My plot must be infested with them. My brassicas are growing away nicely, protected from the birds and rabbits with net, when, all of a sudden I find one cut off in its prime!
Every time, when I dig down I find the little blighter. I get the impression he is looking up at me and saying "Oh s**t he's found me!" Sick of squashing the damm things!
Some of my Durham Early Cabbage have peaked too early (wonder if thats why they are called early?) They are even starting to heart up now!
Luckily I made a later sowing which are just about ready to prick out, just need my potatoes to die off completely and be harvested to release a bit land to plant them!

[martini]

I read somewhere on another thread that you can lay traps for cutworm (I'm expecting loads because we're digging up turf) - you put potato in a can and I think you bury it just below soil level. The worms get in and then you can drown/squash/extermiante them. I'm sure I also read something about putting tin foil around the stems of plants to stop them eating through.

[Snadger]

Putting tin foil around my cabbages.???
I can imagine what the 'Last of the summer wine' crowd at the allotments would say.
1st fogie "What the hells he doing now"........ 2nd fogie "Ah divn't naa, must have been at that Rhubarb Shcnapps again!"........ 1st fogie "For cripes sake someone tell him it's not Christmas yet"......2nd fogie "Maybe he hasn't taken his medication the naas?"

[martini]

you could always add a bit of tinsel Thinking about it - perhaps it was just the stems of sprouts ! If you really wanted to get them going you could always run some Christmas fairy lights down the inside of cloches covering winter veg - apparently it keeps the plants warm - don't know where I read that one