Mid-summer has come and gone, and here in Cornwall we have been very happy to have some rain. We hope those elsewhere have also been lucky with the weather! Now is an ideal opportunity to plant bare-rooted brassicas in time for autumn and winter harvesting. Having said this, it is incredibly hard to predict when plants will be ready to harvest exactly as so many factors determine their health and growth. This comes down to your soil condition, pH value and what minerals and nutrients are present. Continual feeding of a general purpose feed and making sure plants stay watered will help to maximise chances that they will flourish. In addition, the position of your allotment or vegetable patch has a big impact such as south facing, sheltered or open areas will affect the availability of light and exposure to weather conditions. Depending on where you live across the country will also influence the timing of cutting and picking your brassicas. And one of the most important factors - the climate, is becoming more unpredictable from global warming causing more intense seasons, more now than when I was young.
Spring varieties will be available right through until the autumn. We have a great range of heirloom varieties such as Primo cabbage, Snowball cauliflower, Bedford darkmar 21 brussels sprouts, Red drumhead, Purple sprouting broccoli and Hungry gap kale to name a few, check out the website to see the full range.
If cabbage white butterflies, aphids or caterpillars are causing you issues, you can use Grazers G3, a completely natural, non-chemical spray that deters them. It lasts up to 6 weeks and is harmless to people, pets and plants. They are available in either a concentrate form or an already diluted spray form. There are also a variety of other Grazers products that we sell that can help mitigate other pests such as slugs and snails (G2) and pigeons, deer and rabbits (G1).
Concentrate Grazers cabbage white control.
Grazers cabbage white control.
Keeping weeds under control can be a never-ending task that is very important to the health of your garden. This can be made easier with regular hoeing. We stock a range of hoes and cultivators, the most popular one being the Speedy Weeder hoe. It is extremely lightweight and durable, that is not only great for the garden, but also great for gravel paths and driveways. Spare heads are available to buy too.
