We are already in July and the time has come to start the seedbeds of the Brassicaceae or what is the same as the cabbage family.
The cabbage family is very wide but they are all cultivated more or less the same. It includes the cabbages themselves, the cabbages, the rutabagas or the Brussels sprouts. But we can also include the Chinese cabbage or kai-lan which are fantastic vegetables from the East.
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Although cabbages are winter vegetables we have to sow them now if we want to start harvesting at Christmas. Otherwise we always have the option of buying them at the nursery and transplanting them at the end of August or beginning of September.
Sowing is very simple. We will create a nursery protected from direct sun to semi-shade. Do not plant the seedlings directly, they are delicate and will be eaten by snails and slugs in the garden or some clever bird.
If we have done it well, at the end of August we will have some 15 cm tall plants and that will be the time to transplant them to the garden. It is important to leave about 80 cm between plants and about 50 cm between rows. The plants must be protected during the first few days.
It is a very simple crop that becomes easier as it develops and the cold weather, which is its great ally, arrives. But it also has its problems.
The main one is the cabbage butterfly. An interesting method is to plant leeks between the rows or onions; their smell will confuse the butterflies. To fight against snails and slugs, add wood ash around the plants.
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