I took all my seeds to bed - I wanted to find out what I actually had left, and also what was possible to still sow in July.
One packet that caught my eye was the Calabrese - Corvet F1. It is still not too late to sow some calabrese. This is the variety of calabrese that we harvested. It can be touch and go, along with the other brassicas facing problems:
- Slugs/Snails - these munched on a number of brassica seedlings this year. I did sow plenty plus replacements. I guess I need to go mollusc hunting more often braving the weather. I don’t like slug pellets. I’ve tried beer but if you forget to empty it regularly, it stinks - plus OH likes the “slug bitter”!
- Cabbage whitefly - horrible looking aphids (even greenfly is “prettier”!) that had to be squashed. Have also used an insecticidal soap with seaweed foliar feed.
- Cabbage rootfly - well, those so-called cabbage rootfly collars aren’t all that effective as the flies still managed to get to the roots… Lost a few brassicas to those this year.
- Cabbage white caterpillars - well, there haven’t been that many this year but I have squashed a few eggs.
- Disease-wise, white blister rot had affected brussel sprouts quite badly a couple of years ago, but the younger brassica plants have started to get it this year.
- Clubroot - well, I’ve heard it is on the site, but am not sure if I have it on my plot. However, one tactic was to put an inch of rhubarb stem in the hole before planting out a brassica. The aroma and chemicals of the rhubarb stem may mask the brassica aroma and fool the clubroot.
So, shortly, I will be sowing some in rootrainers or pots. I intend to sow lettuces, spring onions, perhaps the Eight Ball courgette and other things this week.
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