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Post by orflo on Nov 1, 2008 1:48:28 GMT -5
This is a cabbage with a very strange behaviour....Unlike other cabbages it is grown in a two year-cyclus to obtain the cabbages, and it takes another third year to produce seeds. As far as I know, this is the only cabbage (or even all brassica oleracea)with this growing habit. Some perennial brassicas ,off course, have other growing habits. It is sown in August the first year, overwinters as small plants, and restarts growth easily in the next spring. By the month of August or later, it reaches its full size, and it can become enormous!!!! Cabbages up to twenty kilo (40 pounds) aren't really an exception, so that's big ... Mine didn't become that big, but I was a little late sowing, and a grey summer certainly didn't contribute to sort things out, but they still are fairly decent sized. I didn't harvest them yet, and I will only eat the small off-shaped ones, in order to produce some seeds. I will have about 10-13 'good' cabbages, which is a bit low for good seed production. I do hope they will survive their second winter quite easily, I will store them, and that's always a bit risky. And again, this is unavailable commercially, I received seeds from Gérard 'biorag' and 'craonne' from France, if I'm not mistaking , both are members here.It's really a shame all these things are so hard to find By orflo, shot with DiMAGE A2 at 2008-10-31
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Post by canadamike on Nov 1, 2008 2:22:27 GMT -5
Biorag has many perennial and different cabbages, we should ask him to list them and talk about them here a bit... Gérard??
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 1, 2008 22:36:36 GMT -5
Funny, I was just trying to hunt down some more perennial brassicas and I'm already tired. I've never heard of a three year cabbage though some of my cabbages whose heads have been cut do overwinter to produce secondary heads (or fluffy leaf balls) in the second year. I haven't tried any for three years yet. Pretty coloration and form.
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Post by biorag on Nov 10, 2008 2:07:02 GMT -5
Biorag has many perennial and different cabbages, we should ask him to list them and talk about them here a bit... Gérard?? Sorry ! I answer lately. I keep only three perennial cabbages : -ewiger kohl -Daubenton -nine star perennial (cauliflower-brocoli ?) We should talk about them when you want.
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Post by canadamike on Nov 10, 2008 2:13:36 GMT -5
Well, why not now? I also ordered 3 accessions of wild cabbages from Russia in the canadian grin. They used to be classified as brassica subspontaneus. It should be fun. They are now classified as b. oleacera var. capitata, so they form head. I hear a goat calling from Belgium.....don't you?
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Post by orflo on Nov 10, 2008 2:17:53 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Nov 10, 2008 2:25:05 GMT -5
I knew you were around
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Post by biorag on Nov 10, 2008 12:40:52 GMT -5
Thank you Frank ! What could we add ? Nothing !
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Post by extremegardener on Dec 7, 2008 12:22:23 GMT -5
Hi! Thanks to everyone for all the great info being shared - I have been fooling around with hardy brassicas for some years, and am always looking for perennial or at least over-wintering behavior for zone 3-4. I found similar brassica capitata behaviour to what Orflo describes with Offenham 3 www.theextremegardener.com/blog/2008/10/26/overwintering-cabbage/ , which appears to be commonly available commercially in the UK, tho not so on this side of the Atlantic. I have got my hands on enough seed to do another sowing next August, and am going to take cuttings next spring (assuming the one plant survives the winter). I was quite surprised that this one survived two winters here unprotected.
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Post by raymondo on Dec 31, 2008 16:53:48 GMT -5
Is Nine Star Perennial broccoli truly perennial, or is it a case of not letting it go to seed? I have some growing but only started it recently. Does Daubenton produce seeds? If it does, is there any chance of some?
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Post by canadamike on Dec 31, 2008 18:13:23 GMT -5
Nine star is not a true perennial, we simply not let him go to seeds. as far as I know, d'aubenton does not produce seeds
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Post by raymondo on Dec 31, 2008 22:31:29 GMT -5
Pity about the d'Aubenton. Since Nine Star keeps going as long as you don't let it go to seed, I wonder if other broccolis, or any other member of the brassicaceae family, would behave similarly.
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