Winter Brassicas

[KirstieSparkle]

Im about to plant out my winter planting broccoli, kale, cabbage, carrots, beetroot etc...
Just wondering about precautionary measures, is it ok to just plant them now butterfly season gone? or am i going to need to net them still?

trying to figure out where im going to plant them as rearranging beds to try sq ft gardening, and i think they dont really fit in with that because need more than one of the sq feet for each plant?

CONFUSED and over thinking

[Bigmallly]

I personally would play safe & net the Brassicas.

[veggiechicken]

There are still butterflies here. The season isn't over yet!

[Martin H]

Even if the butterflies leave them alone, the pigeons will get them (round here at any rate).

I've not heard of winter carrots, beetroot etc, what varieties are you planting out?

[Penellype]

My garden was full of butterflies this afternoon. I'd net the brassicas. The carrots could also still be vulnerable to carrot fly for a while yet.

[Lumpy]

Martin - I use Artemis carrots for over winter. I do put a layer of thin fleece on top but they perform really well. I did try Eskimo a few years back but found that Artemis was better tasting.

[KirstieSparkle]

all in raised beds, so hoping we are safe from carrot fly, i dont know what variety will check in a min but got them from wyevale for winter planting so figure lets do it.

bigmally, i might send you over a message if u dont mind me picking your brains a little

[Bigmallly]

No probs, let me go put them in first................

[Alison]

Isn't it a bit late to be planting most of that out now assuming we're talking open to the elements? I've still got some spring cabbages for in the polytunnel beds but my winter harvesting stuff was planted out months ago so that it's pretty much fully grown by the time winter hits. Might have missed the point of the query though as you are quite a lot further south. Re netting, not seen many butterflies recently but after them never being a problem in past years, pigeons seem to have become a real problem so my netting is more for them.

[Alison]

Martin - I use Artemis carrots for over winter. I do put a layer of thin fleece on top but they perform really well. I did try Eskimo a few years back but found that Artemis was better tasting.

When do you sow them? I just use main crop over winter from an April sowing, pull them up as needed.

[KirstieSparkle]

they are the healthiest brassicas ive ever had, was supposed to plant them out tree weeks ago but they have been on some shelves just open in the garden with net over while i waited for wedding season to finish.

I'm actually kind of hopefull, this is my first real year and butterfly battles too their toll because i only have a two hour possibility of getting to garen centre once a week so i hardly ever get to go lol

[SusieG]

Kirstie, I have carrots growing in a grow bag which I started only last month, from seed. They seem to be doing ok. I feel as if it's a bit hit' n miss as I'm starting things randomly with free seeds that I've accumulated from magazines. Thought I'd give it a go and fill in a gardening 'diary' of stuff that worked/didn't work, weather problems etc so's I can see what to do different next year!

[WendyC]

Are you sowing carrot seed or transplanting seedlings. If it is the latter you may be disappointed as carrots really don't like root disturbance. I don't know why garden centres sell them.

[sparrow100]

If they are going out in the open it may really depend on how big they are already. They will still grow, but you may be cropping later in 2016 than others. My winter veggies went in in July and are now a really good size. The kale is nearly 3ft tall, swedes are large grapefruit size.

I put in some broccoli & spare kale and sowed carrots, beetroot and mooli last month. The broccoli will be late I imagine, as it's only a foot and a half tall now. Not nearly big enough to be cropping in Feb I reckon - it'll be more like March/April. Likewise the spare kale. The root crops are tiny, but I can move their containers into the greenhouse to give them a bit more of a chance.

Lots of butterflies here at the moment - I wouldn't dream of planting out brassicas without netting right now.

[Chippy Minton]

My kale and swedes have been decimated, was blaming the slugs but have a feeling it's the pigeons. Worth netting (once I find the debris netting I order and "placed" in the garage.