Brassica Vegetables - More Demanding

Brassica Vegetables - More Demanding

Cauliflower, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are among very popular vegetables. However, growing them is not that simple. For brassicas to thrive well, they primarily require properly prepared soil. Deeply dug in autumn, with incorporated compost or farmyard manure. All brassicas need potassium for growth. We add potassium to the soil before planting in the form of potassium sulphate.

Cauliflower

lat. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis - belongs among one of the most popular vegetables. It contains high amounts of vitamins. Of mineral substances, it contains phosphorus, potassium and calcium. It belongs among easily digestible vegetables. This is because the fleshy inflorescences (curds) contain less cellulose than other brassicas. Of cultivated brassicas, cauliflower is among the most demanding.

For successful cauliflower growing you need:

• sunny location (cauliflower doesn't do well in shade)
• warm and moist soil
• high nutrient content in soil
• frequent and regular watering
• selection of suitable variety

When forcing cauliflower, pay attention to high nutrient content in soil and warmth. If you pre-grow cauliflower in a cold frame, it needs to be established with farmyard manure. For the harvest to ripen in time, sow cauliflower as early as February. Prick out plants and grow them on individually in larger seedling pots. When transplanting seedlings to the bed, we recommend covering with protective film.

Pre-grown seedlings should be gradually hardened off. After hardening, transplant in mid-April to the bed. The bed should be dug, prepared and fertilised. Plant seedlings sufficiently deep. Plant at 50 cm spacing. Cauliflower needs constant additional feeding with compost or farmyard manure. Use commercial fertilisers as well. And here's the secret fertilising code: Before planting, fertilise beds with ammonium sulphate, superphosphate and potassium salt. Then during the growing season, top-dressing with ammonium nitrate with limestone is sufficient. If you don't want to combine like this, stick to classic and effective fertilising with Cererit. Cererit among other things also contains molybdenum. This is very important, its deficiency can cause so-called whiptail of curds. High nutrient content in soil is very important! Small and slow-growing plants indicate lack of nutrients and moisture. With delayed planting, cauliflower will form curds late. However, it's possible to transplant it and grow it on in a greenhouse, cold frame, etc.

Cauliflower varieties e.g. BORA - very early variety. After pre-growing it's suitable for growing in the bed. In sunny weather, leaves need to be bent over to protect the curd from yellowing.

Broccoli

lat. Brassica oleracea, var. italica - is probably the least common brassica vegetable grown in our gardens. Nevertheless, it is easier to grow than cauliflower. It also contains even more vitamins than cauliflower. It is a rich source of vitamin C and E and provitamin A. For those who haven't encountered broccoli yet - it is a brassica with a more robust thickened stem, which ends in a floret with fleshy small florets.

Broccoli is easier to grow than cauliflower. So how do you grow it? Where does it thrive? Broccoli prospers in higher foothill areas. It prefers a more humid environment. It is most commonly sown in June in a seedbed. In July, we transplant the broccoli, also into the first row, 50-60 cm apart. From June sowing, broccoli is ready in September. We harvest it by first cutting off the main floret with a 15-20 cm part of the fleshy stem. This is because additional florets continue to grow from side shoots until the first frosts.

Try the LIMBA broccoli variety - it produces large, tasty florets. It is also suitable for autumn growing and produces side florets after cutting.

Chinese (Napa) Cabbage

lat. Brassica pekinensis - belongs to brassica vegetables, although it is commonly classified as leafy vegetables. This is likely because Chinese cabbage is mostly consumed raw like head cabbage. If you let your imagination run wild, you can cook Chinese cabbage like spinach, celery or head cabbage. It also contains vitamin C and provitamin A.

Chinese (Napa) cabbage is an undemanding vegetable. It thrives in more humid soils. Higher air humidity also suits it. It does well in higher altitudes. Chinese cabbage has a short growing season. So you don't wait long for the harvest. It matures within two to three months.

Sow Chinese cabbage in summer, at the established time, around July 15th. There is no need to sow Chinese cabbage earlier, because long sunny days would force the plant to flower. Heads would not develop. We also don't sow the plant later. Heads might not ripen before the first frosts.

Chinese cabbage can be pre-grown. Before sowing, we spread Cererit on the bed. We apply 50g per m2. After germination, we thin the plants to a distance of 25 cm from each other. We sow rows 40 cm apart. It is important to hoe and water the plants during growth! Watering and spraying doesn't only have a nutritional function. Frequent spraying of cabbage heads will prevent the occurrence of flea beetles and leaf beetles, which don't like humid environments.

Chinese (Napa) cabbage is harvested gradually. If we have it in the bed for more than 2 months and the first frosts are already beginning, we recommend covering it with a thermal film tunnel. Or we can remove the heads with roots and let them ripen in a warm hotbed, or store them in a cellar. A darker environment doesn't affect head development.

A popular variety is

HILTON

- produces heads weighing up to 1 kg. Sow in mid-July. You'll harvest large barrel-shaped heads until the first frost.

Do you know the secret to growing the fullest cauliflower heads?

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Author: Hana Michalíková