My first plantings of cabbages, brussels sprouts and flower sprouts were wiped out by cabbage root fly, in spite of being treated with nematodes. The other brassicas that were sown a little later I potted on from their modules into 9cm pots and grew them a bit bigger before planting them out today. This time I’ve used paper collars to try and protect them from the egg laying flies.
Potentially one downside of growing them on is that they are rather large and lush and the waiting hoards of slugs may make short work of them. I planted cabbages, cauliflowers and what I think is Purple Russian Kale, which unless I mixed the packets, should have been the purple curly kale Redbor. In truth, if the earlier stuff hadn’t died, I don’t know where this lot would have gone. It’s all gone back in to the same ground too, so I hope the rootfly grubs aren’t lying in wait.
I tell myself it can be a pretty random business, growing veg. Every year you’re going to get notable successes and failures. Get over it, move on.
garden ruminations 