GROWING YOUR OWN
Cabbages are members of the
brassica family – along with broccoli,
cauliflower and kale. It has to be said
that brassicas are not the easiest
crops to grow. They are in the ground
for a long time and there are a lot of
creatures out there that like the taste
of them as much as we do. Protecting
them from these pests is essential, or
your cabbages will be a holey mess.
On planting them out, they will need
to be immediately protected from
slugs, cabbage white caterpillars and
pigeons. Use organic slug pellets and
beer slug traps, and then build a
‘brassica frame’ around them, covered
in fine mesh. This will keep pigeons
and caterpillars at bay. The time of
sowing and planting out will depend
on which type it is, so follow the
instructions on the seed packet.
Three to try:
Tundra This is a savoy type, hardy,
reliable and flavourful. Sow in spring,
plant out in summer, pick from
November until spring. Available from
marshalls-seeds.co.uk
Red Rookie A red cabbage and one
of the earliest summer cabbages. Sow
in February, plant out in April, harvest
from August. Available from
mr-fothergills.co.uk
Duncan A ‘spring cabbage’ style that
can be harvested all year round with
careful sowing. Sow indoors in early
spring and outdoors at intervals from
February to September. Available
from kingsseedsdirect.com
LIVING (^) | STAPLE FOODS
Cabbages can be
sourced all year, so if
you haven’t got any in
your patch , just pop
down to your local
market and come home
looking like you’ve just
been a contestant on
Crackerjack
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