Cabbage project update

f3 cabbage seedlings on the grow!

This year's seedlings of a cross between San Michele blush savoy cabbage and Red Rock Mammoth. These are f3s. There was quite a bit of segregation happening in the f2s grown out last year so I'm looking forward to seeing what levels of savoy and purple this generation will have. 

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Trenching cabbage stems for overwintering in 2016.

Excellent stem survival with trenching.

Last year, I cut off the cabbage heads (as they won't overwinter here), took backup cutting (which were decimated by aphids) and trenched the stems. This was by digging up the stems, making a furrow, planting them horizontally, covering with soil, straw, more soil and then the whole bit with row cover. They wintered beautifully this way. 

Compare this with a uncovered row of a different project, seed from the Toad's Garden, where the heads were removed but the stems were left planted. Most died back (which is typical of older plants) but a few survived. The now two cabbage projects will be separately tunnelled for seed collection as I have a third Brassica oleracea project on the go as well.

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