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Growing Guide - Cabbages and Cauliflower

The Brassica family includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohl rabi, radish, swede and turnip.

Brassicas like a deeply dug soil that has been well firmed. They do not like it too acid.
Make sure plenty of well rotted manure, compost or worm cast has been added to the soil. Plant your seedlings firmly using a dibber to create the required hole for the seedling.
Give seedlings a good watering after planting. Hoe or hand weed around the plants. Try biodegradable mulching paper to suppress weeds rather than having to spend so much time having to hand weed!


Cabbages

Cabbages come in all different shapes, sizes and colours. At Rocket Gardens we can supply a good range of these for you to plant in your garden.

For general guidance cabbages like the following:
A well consolidated fertile soil. A reasonably sunny and sheltered location.
Try and avoid digging in fresh manure as this is liable to burn the young seedlings root system. Worm cast will provide a good nutrient base for cabbages.
After planting firm well around base of seedlings and give them a watering. In Cornwall the old farmers who have grown cauliflower and cabbages all their lives say that leaving the young plants dry makes them send their roots deeper in an effort to find moisture thus creating a stronger plant – if you are brave why not test this theory out on some of your plants!

For compact varieties space seedlings approximately 12 inches (30cm) apart. Allow more space for larger heading varieties. Spring cabbage can be spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart in rows 12 inches (30cm) wide.

Cauliflower

There are three general seasonal cauliflower varieties:
Summer – mature during summer months
Autumn- mature during autumn months
Winter – mature during winter months – really these are in fact heading broccoli.

At Rocket Gardens we grow our cauliflower seedlings to tie in with these seasonal variations.

Cauliflowers require a rich and deep soil which is well consolidated. Make sure they have plenty of moisture as they don’t like drought! In general plant seedlings 24 inches (60cm) apart in rows 30 inches (75cm) apart. Hoe or hand weed well to remove weeds.

Never allow cauliflowers to become short of water.