One last attempt at calabrese this year!

[Likac66]

I have sown calabrese seeds 3 times this spring and then bought established plants. Each time the damned slugs won the battle and had them every time. Actually, no, the first lot of seedlings were frazzled in the hot weather in March. (Remember that bizarre heatwave?)

I am giving them one last go for the year. I have bought some Calabrese Marathon F1 seeds - supposed to be ready 10 weeks from sowing. I sowed them into module trays yesterday and have them on the top shelving of some staging I have outside.

I have given up on purple sprouting for this year but that one is my favourite.

Oh well, fingers crossed I might get some calabrese this year.

[redser]

Tried 3 sowings too and they all bolted. The latest one was looking nice and tight and then last night I noticed it was opening up. Grrr It's personal now. Going to try again at the weekend.

[lukens]

The heads are just forming on mine, but we're going to Dorset for 4 days tomorrow, so odds are it will have bolted by the time we return.

[Alison]

I grow Marathon and it's very good but not as fast as they say on that. I have some young plants already on the plot which should produce heads in late summer / autumn and I've also just sown some more for overwintering in the polytunnel as I find that they makek a nice spring harvest that way - they're too tender to have outside but great under cover, even in a cold winter.

[Likac66]

Thanks for the heads up on that. I have a cold frame and a greenhouse so I have options. Can't remember how many seeds I planted but I might leave some out, some in the cold frame and some in the greenhouse and see what I get!

[Kestrel]

I've had similar difficulties this year. Early lot bolted as bonsai plants, slugs have done for the rest. Sowed some more a fortnight ago and still the slugs have done thelr worst but still got some more to prick out.

If at fifth you don't succeed....

[Nik]

I planted f1s and they were all blind but one. Harrumph. I'll just buy the cheap seeds next year.