The cabbage, broccoli and coliflower transplants after one month in my raised beds are huge, however no heads have formed as yet.The growing media consists of a 50:50 mix of well aged cow manure and garden soil. Is it necessary to fertilize to iniate the development of head growth?
Cole Crop Head Formation
No, they will mature according to the varieties time line. Fertilty will affect the size, in some cases actually slow the process, but it will not speed it up. Most cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower varieties need a at least two months after transplanting, with some later varieties needing 3-4 months.
Interesting Farmerdill. This is my first attempt as you can possibly tell to try these in my raised beds. I was seriously thinking about transplanting them to the garden since they take up so much space in the raised beds and I have plenty of room left in the garden. My concern was the size of the plants.
I do remember back a few years when I would slip out of the office on Thursday afternoons to go white bass fishing in the early spring. The country road which ultimately became the road over the dam at my favorite fishing spot had a single farm house with a garden in the front yard and each spring a garden with massive cabbage plants would mysteriously appear one day out of nowhere. This absolutely amazed me how this garden would just suddenly happen.
I looked closely yesterday and saw the first formation of actual stalks on my broccoli and small heads on the cauliflower. The main stalks on these as well as the cabbage plants are somewhat elevated and I'm wondering if they need to be mounded up for support???
All of the old (pre 20th century) garden manuals recomend mounding up and then tredding in the plants so they are rocksolid. They say if the plants rock at all you're done for. HRH Prince Charles's gardener actually plants his brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower in trenches and fills them in as they grow like leeks. I tried this and it really really works, especially for brussels sprouts. They're actually making babies as we speak, I can taste them now, and none of them are "blown" so far. They also say to keep them very well wateredbecause if you let them dry out the heads will crack when you water them and fertilized as they are super heavy feeders and not to plant them in light soil.
Amazing! Brussels sprouts in July, Yehudith? Please post photos. BTW, according to Farmerdill he all but pre-dates your manuals and, IMO, his advice is golden. :) I have cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, and cabbage that is just now getting ready to harvest despite incredible heat. I've only ever planted sprouts in Fall and am not aware they can grow as Spring plantings in all but the coldest climes. The heads on sprouts and cabbages crack when they are ready to flower. Too much fertilizer will hasten the process.
I appreciate the 'mounding/treading" suggestion. Next time I will trench in the garden rather than a raised bed. As I mentioned above the large cabbage plants which were transplanted by the farmer with a garden in his front yard, makes me think that I will plant the seed in an individual peat pot rather than those small cell packs.
Raider
I've actually trenched in my raised bed. Most of them are 10'' deep, so I just dig down and plant and fill in later. If I really need to mound up I put a "box" around the plant so I can go up a few more inches. This works great with leeks. If I could find the transfer cord to my camera I'd send you some pics so you could see what I mean.
Brussel Sprouts are usually done in two sowings the first real early in the spring the second in time for the plants to make sprouts before the heavy frosts set in. The later sowing usually is much sweeter because it gets hit with atleast one frost. I actually have two beds going, one gets more sun than the other. The most advanced plants are getting the most sun. The biggest trick is to get them in the ground soon enough that they are up and growing so they can make sprouts before the weather gets really hot. I have some sprouts that are about the size of my thumb nail, the others about pinky nail size and all the rest matchhead size. That's normally the middle of July around here although we can get real hot days anytime after the first week in May. You also have to keep them very moist.
Here's some cabbage info:
"Soil texture is not critical, but early cabbages do best in a sandy loam, while later types need a heavier, moisture retaining soil. Side-dress seedligs with well-rotted manure three weeks after planting. Hand-pull weeds to avoid damaging cabbage's shallowroots;use a mulch to keep the soil moist. Uneven watering can cause a sudden growth spurt that will make the developing head split. If you see a cabbage head starting to crak, twist the plant a halfturn and pull up to slightly dislodge the roots and thus slow the plants growth. Or use a spade to cut the roots in one ortwo places 6" below the stem. This also helps to prevent cabbage from bolting." Rodale's All-New Enylopedia of Organic Gardening, 1997
"There are some key points to remember
-Potatoes and brassicas need soil that has been newly enriched with good-quality compost or manure
-Members of the onion family (leeks, garlic and shallots as well as onions) like to grow in soil that was manured for a previous crop.
-Squashs, pupkins and courgettes need plenty of humus to help keep the soil moist, but too rich soil will grow leaves at the expense of fruit.
-Peas and beans also require an input of humus rather than manure.
-Root vegetables are best grown at the end of a rotation" Denis Brown Head Gardener to HRH Prince Charles
"Cabbages are thirsty plants, so give them an inch of water each week. The heads may split if they become dry and then receive a lot of moisture, so try to water evenly and regularly. Mulching also helps. Cabbages are heavy feeders, so dress them generously with compost.
Old timey gardeners have a trick to keep cabbages from splitting: they give the heads a quick quarter-twist while they're developing, or they tug them gently up out of the ground. This seems to slow the uptake of moisture by severing some of the roots." Gardening with Heirloom Seeds, Lynn Coulter,2006
"...In land that has beenpreviously well manured, they do best, especially if it is of a light warm nature, such soil producing the earliest cabbages.
When the land is naturally good the less dung that is made use of, the sweeter and finer the vegetable but where it is poor and indifferent, (the whole of the Brassica tribe being of an exhausting nature,) then and then only is a heavy coat of manure necessary."The Vegetable Cultivator, Accurate Description of All the Different Species, John Rogers, 1843il
Ah yehudith, much to consider her. I really appreciate all the information given. Although I have done some research on the Brassica I have yet to experience a season in the garden or raised bed this season. I had not given thought to successive plantings due to our short season, but I can see where that might be a possibility combining the raised beds with the garden. The quantity of these grown in the raised bed is severely limited to just a few plants of each variety due to their size in most cases.
For next year I plan to use the raised beds as an intermediate phase going from early transplants to the raised bed and again to the garden. This would give me a range of plant sizes to work with assuming the second transplant method works. Comments such as yours yehudith about trenching, box-mounding, root cutting and twisting of the heads on cabbage leads me to believe they are a sturdy plant and can withstand the second transfer before they get too large. I have not read anywhere or heard any comments to the negative on this as yet so I will go with the plan until otherwise advised.