Kale - Is it too late?

[IanP]

I'm starting to think I'm no good at this gardening malarky.

Despite the land-mines, dobermanns, heavily armed private security staff and occasional cluster-bombing from a friendly Israeli pilot the slugs have still managed to get to and eat my one remaining kale seedling. (The BSP and spring cabbages went weeks ago). I've now upgraded my armoury to include enough poisons, traps and barriers to kill or keep at bay a million of the little gits, but I might just let the b******s starve to death now there's nothing left for them to eat!

Anyway, enough ranting. Is it too late to start some more kale? (And PSB and spring cabbage too). I've got a lovely mini-polytunnel to protect them from the cold if that helps.

Despondently,
Ian.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Sorry to hear you feel like that Ian - although I can sympathise, I went through exactly the same earlier in the year when my crops were devastated by cabbage butterfly!
I've just looked in the veg & herb expert book and for kale, it says: sowing time beginning of may, planting time july cutting time dec - mar.
Other grapes have more expertise than me and may know some tricks of the trade!
DDL

[Snadger]

Bit late to sow kale methinks but may be able to get some brassica's plants in the garden centres. I think it depends on where you live and how good the local garden centres are!
I've just transplanted some Spring cabbage out today that I had grown myself but it is a bit late and the transplants are a bit on the large size (didn't know whether to plant them or eat them!) As far as I'm concerned they've got two chances (live or die!) and if its the latter all I will reget is that I didn't eat them! I am quietly optimistic, as long as my rabbit fence keeps doing its job.
There's one thing about growing winter greens, pesky cabbage white butterflies don't show there face!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Good point and well made about the butterflies Snadger! DDL

[pickledtink]

Same happened to me so I got some off the bloke on ebay. He did me a mixed pack of 20 plants. Curly Kale, Cavolo Nero and white and purple sprouting broccoli. I planted them only a wek ago and they're doing fine. Hang on I'll just find a link........
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-BORECOLE-NE...QQcmdZViewItem

Eeeeek! loooong link. Sorry. Anyway just email him via the ask seller a question button top right and ask him for whatever you want. I actually got 28 plants in my bundle so gave 10 to a friend.

[dexterdoglancashire]

PT - did you plant them straight outside or in your greenhouse? DDL

[pickledtink]

Straight out. I don't have a greenhouse except for one of those tiddly plastic 3 shelf jobs. So no wimpy nancy plants chez PT garden!
I'll sling a bit of fleece over them when we get really cold snaps but we get very mild weather down here apart from the endless Sea storms of course.

[Waffler]

I was looking through back issues of mags the other day, and for October (Ok, I know strictly speaking it's november now) it said you could 'plant out' kale, but I suspected that was seedlings of, rather than sowing seeds, otherwise I would've sown some myself. May be I'll have a wee look in the garden centre next week.

[Earthbabe]

Kale and such shouldn't need fleeceing. Mine survived fine over the winter, last year with frozen soil for a month, except for the ravages of the flying rats and fed us well. As the weather warms up they start to sprout at the sides giving you clusters of small extremely tender leaves, steam for a matter of 2-3 mins.

It's actually better for the frost.

Love it!

[Snadger]

Kale and such shouldn't need fleeceing. Mine survived fine over the winter, last year with frozen soil for a month, except for the ravages of the flying rats and fed us well. As the weather warms up they start to sprout at the sides giving you clusters of small extremely tender leaves, steam for a matter of 2-3 mins.

It's actually better for the frost.

Love it!

Me too earthbabe!

[IanP]

Hang on I'll just find a link........
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-BORECOLE-NE...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks Pickled, I'll get some replacements from him.

As for the slugs: where did I put that flame-thrower