Broccoli

[OverWyreGrower]

I've got a couple of garden catalogues at home, and have seen some little plastic balls with about 6 holes in, in both catalogues (bear with me on this...)

You can use canes/stakes with them to build your own cage/support, by using the balls as your joints. I can't remember the name of the catalogue, but someone on here may know what I'm on about, and if not, I'll find the catalogue later today!

I'm hoping to get some to protect my broccoli!

[GeordieVik]

OWG,

that's kind of what I've done with cheapo tennis balls from Poundstretcher (see pic in previous post) - pierced holes with a pair of scissors and shoved them onto the canes - works ok, and cost me £2 for 8 balls.... (idea from another Grape, not my own!)

Thanks all for your advice - so keep the frame and use enviromesh - how would you suggest I attach it to the frame? Or not bother and just lie it over the frame, holding down into bed at the edges with pegs?

Vik

[OverWyreGrower]

Unless it's really, really windy, maybe just holding it down with bricks/pegs at the edges?

You could use cable-ties round the canes and mesh to hold the frame and mesh together?

[GeordieVik]

thanks OWG, will buy some mesh and try to get it all set up next weekend I think

Vik

[Mrs Dobby]

We built a cery Heath Robinson support systme for the netting over our Brassica beds, basically 3' uprights of bamboo canes with empty pop bottles / cans / yoghurt pots / plastic cups over the tops, then the netting draped over and secured with bricks and pegs, the results can be seen in the piccies below, and its stood up to 25 mph winds so far, so although it looks a bit flimsy it cant be too bad, can it?

[saffron]

we have planted out our brassicas today and immediately covered them with enviromesh over a frame we built using build-a-balls and canes.

hopefully we will avoid the damage we had last year from caterpillars.

[chickenjane]

So do the cabbage fly lay even when the poor little seedlings haven't developed a stem yet?

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh heck!!

i've germinated calabrese,romanesco etc in pots in the shady side of the patch & planted out in last few days. at about 3"-4" high. (my technique is to dig a deep slant sided hole,put them at the bottom & press firmly in place.Then as the grow the hole is refilled so they have more stem below the surface 1. they can root from he stem 2. less above ground to whip around in the wind.)

Have I just planted out a load of fly-ridden plantlings?

[Paulottie]

Jane, The old timer next to me swears by the furrow method you describe. He's been doing so for 40 yrs plus! helps with initial watering too.

[SarzWix]

I had my calabrese out under Enviromesh & build-a-ball cage last year, from the moment of planting. The leaves looked fine, except for the odd nibble which I thought was slug/snail damage. Unfortunately, when harvested and cooked, there was still flippin caterpillars in the heads, and my kids now won't touch the stuff even shop bought.... I have no idea how they got in there - the net was 2-3 inches above the top of plants, so I can only guess there was a gap in the pegging down, or the overlap at the end. Anyway, guess the moral is; double check your mesh/netting for gaps every time you go anywhere near it. Oh, and always soak the harvested veg in cold, salt water before cooking...!

[chickenjane]

Jane, The old timer next to me swears by the furrow method you describe. He's been doing so for 40 yrs plus! helps with initial watering too.

Oh good .I used to do it when we gardened on sand but thought it would also be useful now as my beds are new and the soil is a bit loose still.

but what i really want to know is am I likely to have planted cabbage root flt with the plants?

[chickenjane]

I had my calabrese out under Enviromesh & build-a-ball cage last year, from the moment of planting. The leaves looked fine, except for the odd nibble which I thought was slug/snail damage. Unfortunately, when harvested and cooked, there was still flippin caterpillars in the heads, and my kids now won't touch the stuff even shop bought.... I have no idea how they got in there - the net was 2-3 inches above the top of plants, so I can only guess there was a gap in the pegging down, or the overlap at the end. Anyway, guess the moral is; double check your mesh/netting for gaps every time you go anywhere near it. Oh, and always soak the harvested veg in cold, salt water before cooking...!

Oh bad luck.
are you trying to rekindle their desire to eating brassicas this year?

[peanut]

Can purple sprouting seeds be sown into pots of multi-purpose or do they need to be sown straight into the ground?

[Paulottie]

Yes peanut works fine.

Jane, don't think so but if the maggots were in the stem they'll still be there. It takes a while for eggs to hatch. The flies look for young plant to lay eggs by.

Completely empathise with that story Sarah-Very difficult to keep em out and a real bore to unwrap them each time to check them over. It's the moth catapillar that burys itself in the heart rather than butterfly....little s*ds.

[GeordieVik]

another novice broccoli question

I have a couple of feet each of 3 types of broccoli / calabrese - do I need to do successional sowing, or will the plants I have now crop for me until the end of their season?

Vik

[Paulottie]

F1 varieties are bred to crop together for farming purposes others more variable on conditions. Most of them have re-sprouts over a period rather than one large head anyway if you keep cutting they keep producing.