Sprouting Broccoli

[ladylottie]

Hi
I'm new to having an allotment (and the only lady on my site as well!).

I took on the half plot in February last year, and had to work hard digging it over to remove the weeds. As I cleared an area I planted crops there (potatoes, peas, broad beans, french beans, runner beans, sweetcorn, carrots, beetroot, onions & shallots). I got a reasonable crop despite sowing some things late except for onions & shallots.

I managed to clear the whole area of weeds by early spring this year, and sowed White & Purple Sprouting Broccoli in modules in my glass shed on the lottie. Because space was tight, I planted them out far too close together (about one foot apart each way). I did transplant 3 plants earlier on and they nearly died (from wilting, then a pigeon attack). Thankfully, theyv'e now recovered and are growing well.

The other Sp. Broccoli plants have romped away and are very healthy and almost 2 foot tall. They are very crowded!

So - should I risk transplanting some of them? Or should I leave well alone?

Also, both last year and this year I've had disapponting resulys with shallots & onions. Other plots have love fat bulbs but not mine. Theey are tiny! So what am I doing wrong? They're still tasty to eat of course but fiddly to prepare. The garlic I grew last year and this between the onions & shallots has been fine.

Any ideas or suggestions please for this newbie?
Thanks
Ladylottie

[Two_Sheds]

If you don't give them more room, you won't get a crop.

Your seed packet will tell you how far apart, but it's about 3 foot

[Maximillian]

I grow psb a bit closer than it says on the pack and they're ok but onions definitely need room to swell.

[bazzaboy]

LL, It's always said that broccoli/calabrese like to be well-rooted in fairly solid soil (dislike being rocked/loosened by wind for example) so I wouldn't attempt to transplant them at this stage but make a note to give them a bit more space next time. I suspect if you let them find a way (and protect from pigeons who seem able to spot broccoli from 20,000 feet!) you'll still get some edible sprouts.

Onions like a rich fairly loose soil and the old way of growing them was in permanent beds so that the fertility could be built up. That's no longer recommended because of the threat of disease but if you've only recently cleared your lottie that's possibly the reason why they're smaller at this stage. As you build up the overall fertility and workability of the site ("friable soil) they'll improve.... Because onion leaves are so feeble at suppressing adjacent weeds you have to keep them weed free.

Incidentally, you might be cropping your onions earlier than necessary - I recently read somewhere (on this List probably) that onions put on leaf until the longest day and then, as daylight reduces, put on bulb bulk... You might be cropping shallots any time now but onions will happily continue bulking up for a good few weeks yet. Might also be worth asking your neighbours when they planted their onions and which variety they recommend.

Congrats on progress made to date, fantastic!

bb.

[Snadger]

Depending on how many PSB you have could you not just pull out every second one to give them some room. Half a dozen plants are enough for a large family and even a couple of plants will give a good crop come spring.

If you were feeling adventurous and have the space available you could try transplanting them. Take a large rootball with them and water in well and stake the newly transplanrted plants. If they manage to survive it could give you an extended picking season as they will not be as advanced as the ones you leave!

[ladylottie]

LL, It's always said that broccoli/calabrese like to be well-rooted in fairly solid soil (dislike being rocked/loosened by wind for example) so I wouldn't attempt to transplant them at this stage but make a note to give them a bit more space next time. I suspect if you let them find a way (and protect from pigeons who seem able to spot broccoli from 20,000 feet!) you'll still get some edible sprouts.

Onions like a rich fairly loose soil and the old way of growing them was in permanent beds so that the fertility could be built up. That's no longer recommended because of the threat of disease but if you've only recently cleared your lottie that's possibly the reason why they're smaller at this stage. As you build up the overall fertility and workability of the site ("friable soil) they'll improve.... Because onion leaves are so feeble at suppressing adjacent weeds you have to keep them weed free.

Incidentally, you might be cropping your onions earlier than necessary - I recently read somewhere (on this List probably) that onions put on leaf until the longest day and then, as daylight reduces, put on bulb bulk... You might be cropping shallots any time now but onions will happily continue bulking up for a good few weeks yet. Might also be worth asking your neighbours when they planted their onions and which variety they recommend.

Congrats on progress made to date, fantastic!

bb.

Thanks Bazzaboy for your advice. I think I'll leave most of them and see how they do but I will try and transplant perhaps just two (simply because I AM adventurous, Snadger!). Two is worth a risk I reckon because there are 15 plants altogether. The plants are really crowded now. The pigeons seem to prefer the sp. broccoli I transplanted earlier but I will put some netting over the top. I saw Joe Swift on gardeners world put netting only on the top of brassicas (not the sides) so I'll give that a go.

You're probably right Bazzaboy about the onions - the soils just not good enough yet I suppose - and I am "picking happy"! I will leave yjem growing on for a while yet.

Thanks again both of you, help much appreciated!
Ladylottie

[Alison]

How close are they? I'm planting about 2.5 foot apart in both directions.

[jemma_charlie]

I was under the impression they would be okay as in square foot gardening it recomends planting 1 per square foot, which is what i have done :-)

[King Carrot]

I was under the impression they would be okay as in square foot gardening it recomends planting 1 per square foot, which is what i have done :-)

1 ft seems very very tight spacing for PSB even with double dug enriched soil

[Pumpkin Becki]

Hi
Also, both last year and this year I've had disapponting resulys with shallots & onions. Other plots have love fat bulbs but not mine. Theey are tiny! So what am I doing wrong? They're still tasty to eat of course but fiddly to prepare.
Any ideas or suggestions please for this newbie?
Thanks
Ladylottie

You could try a top dressing of Bone Meal round your onions (not touching the bulbs themselves), its great for root development - it maybe a little late in the day, but its worth a try. Just lightly fork it into the top soil and water.

[ladylottie]

Actually a book I have by D G Hessayon (New Veg & Herb Expert) says to plant purple and white Sp.Broccoli 1½ foot apart but somewhere else (can't remember where now) said at least 2 foot apart.

From the look of my plants, 1 foot is certainly too close! Next year I will plant them 3 foot apart so they can get air round them.

[timmyalex]

So would my Calabrese be considered too close.? Under all those leaves the plants are actually 18" apart ?? (middle crop in the thumbnail)

[organic vic]

I was under the impression they would be okay as in square foot gardening it recomends planting 1 per square foot, which is what i have done :-)

I too have done this according to square foot gardening.

[ladylottie]

Mine looked like yours in the pic to start with and I thought I could get away with it but now they are really jammed together. I think it's a case of space them further apart next year if you don't want to risk transplanting them. (They do look nice healthy plants though!).

[Alison]

So would my Calabrese be considered too close.? Under all those leaves the plants are actually 18" apart ?? (middle crop in the thumbnail)

Calabrese can be planted closer together than PSB.