Broccoli and cabbage growing: cultural technique

[ottawagardener]

I tend to start my long season cabbages and early broccoli about the same time as tomatoes but plant out at about 4 weeks old, in cutworm collars made of a bottomless plastic cup. This does create a microclimate immediately around. However, last year this technique increased earwig damage so I'm going to switch it to wrapping the stem in aluminum foil. Some years, I've needed to place a floating row cover over and in a previous lifetime when I grew small amounts, I'd cover in a bottomless pop bottle 'cloche' on really cold days.

Anyhow, I've not ever seen them button which is a danger of exposing them to cold temperatures. I'm presuming this is either because of the stage that they are planted at: not prone to flowering yet, or/and because it doesn't remain very, very cold for long enough or for a long enough stretch.

This technique has provided me with the biggest, best heads, but it goes contrary to what I've read in gardening books and seed catalogues.

Curious what your techniques are and if you are an early planter.

More Info: This typically means that I plant out around the first week of April though this year it will be later because of the lingering snow and frozen ground. I think they won't end up outside until sometime next week or later. They have been snowed on and last frost around here isn't usually until around the middle of May (officially near the end of the first week).

[olddog]

I was an early planter, (January) here in central California, but did have the plants go to seed very quickly.
Now I plant in the ground around April 15 or later, and then plant again August 1, in the greenhouse, and plant out, around Sep 1. It has taken a while to figure out when is the best time to plant in my climate.

The early jersey wakefield has done well in the spring planting, and very poorly in the fall planting.

did hear that it was the cold weather when they were young, that caused bolting, but did not know how young that was, exactly, or the length of cold that initiated bolting.

what varieties did best for you?


I did have good luck with old bottomless gallon plastic milk jugs, as you did, for cloches, but had to watch for warm days, or i would accidentally cook the poor plants!

[ottawagardener]

Summer planting usually leads to poor production in my experience. Maybe it's because of the length of the season here or the temperature swings?