Brassicas are just perfect for being planted in mid June and July. Most will be ready to harvest in late autumn/early winter and many will over-winter too for harvesting in late winter/early spring. It’s always nice to have that slightly later crop available, and it’s nice to extend the planting season too.
Essentially there are two seasons for planting brassicas – in early spring for harvest in autumn, or in mid-summer for harvesting in winter and early spring the following year. The main ones to think about for June and July planting include:
- Brussels Sprouts – they should be just cropping for December and will keep going through to February
- Cauliflower and Romanesco – expect a late autumn harvest
- All Cabbages – to harvest in late autumn and early winter
- Broccoli – depends on the weather, but you can expect a flurry of sprouting broccoli in late winter/early spring
- Kale – planting now will give you plenty of autumn leaves and a continued crop into winter
If you are planting brassicas in the next few weeks, be sure to tick these three jobs off the list:
- Protect them from pigeons who are notorious for nibbling at brassica leaves when nobody’s looking! A net or light horticultural fleece will do the job.
- Protect them from cabbage white butterflies who will jump at the chance to lay their eggs on your brassica plants. Again, light horticultural fleece will do the trick.
- Put a brassica collar around the base of the stem to protect from cabbage root fly. Simply cut a 10cm disc out of cardboard, cut a slit into the middle (and a couple of extra small 1cm slits at the centre to give the stem a bit of space) and place it around the stem. This will stop the larvae of the cabbage root fly from burying into the roots of your brassicas.
