Patio cabbages

[borage]

I am trying the patio savoy cabbages they are making lots of growth and are about 4 - 5 inches tall but they have not started to form a heart as yet. Anyone have any experience of growing these? The packet says they should be tennis ball size.

[jacob marley]

I am trying the patio savoy cabbages they are making lots of growth and are about 4 - 5 inches tall but they have not started to form a heart as yet. Anyone have any experience of growing these? The packet says they should be tennis ball size.

I think you will be lucky if you se a heart forming much before christmas Savoys are ready in the new year normally jacob

[borage]

Oh, I didn't realise there was no mention of when you harvest on the packet

[Alice]

Hello Borage - I'm growing the baby veg Protovoy cabbage (savoy type) in a raised bed. It's growing well but not hearting yet. I was hoping to be eating it long before the new year. I'll check into what it said about mine.

[borage]

Thanks Alice, it would be good to get to eat them before new year.

[Alice]

You can check this link Borage. It says harvest from the end of August to November which is about what I thought.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cabbage-Savo.../dp/B000NB67VC

[borage]

Thanks for the link Alice

[Cutecumber]

I've never come across anything called a "patio" cabbage, but...

If it is Protovoy, I've grown them for several years - sown in Feb/ March, grown in pots and harvested in the summer (June/ July) with fairly dense hearts. I grow them tightly spaced so they are small (but not as small as a tennis ball) and can be eaten in one sitting.

If you don't get a cabbage before winter I would be very worried!!

[Flummery]

Life's too short to worry about your cabbages! I must look at this variety myself. There are only the two of us and a massive savoy takes a week to eat. By then you REALLY have more to worry about!

[Cutecumber]

Yes, you're right, Flummery, although the big ones keep you in greens during the winter.

The other one I can recommend is Minicole - it's a quick-growing ball-head which is used commercially for coleslaw. It's ideal where you don't have much space or want a small cabbage. Produces a very solid head of good quality.

[moggssue]

When you say quick growing, if I sowed now would they be ready in the autumn? Can I wait and sow them in the space left by my carrots and spinach later on, to give me some early winter greens?

[Alice]

Thanks Cutecucumber. That's what I'm trying to do.

[Cutecumber]

Moggsue - I would venture to say yes indeedy.

I also grow small cauliflowers - not as small as the tiny ones you can buy pre-packed in posh supermarkets, but enough for about three people, say. Try Idol and Candid Charm. They have done me proud and produced good heads even grown where there's barely enough space.

Don't expect big hefty crops from these varieties (cabbage & cauli) but use them to give you quick, space efficient treats. They are usually mild in flavour with no bitterness. And really cute!

[Cutecumber]

One of the good things about a quick-grown cabbage is its tenderness...

I even managed to use the outer leaves of a Protovoy to make stuffed cabbage parcels - they were just big enough and while tougher than the centre leaves, not at all unpleasant. It depends a lot on the pest situation, of course, but don't automatically chuck the outer leaves - you might be surprised.

It's good to be able to use the whole thing - very efficient.

I just wish we could breed a cauliflower with "eating" leaves - I have tried to cook some but it is not to be recommended. The word leather comes to mind.

[Flummery]

They're good in the compost bin though! No waste if you think of it that way.