I love Cabbages

I love cabbage.  This one is Wheeler's Imperial.  Sown last August, planted out end of September.   It would get bigger if I let it, and put up more of a white heart, but I prefer to eat it at this stage.

Like yourself Sean. I prefer my greens green. I am not a fan of the white yokes. They are ok in Coleslaw or even or even fermented as Sauerkraut. The darker the greens the better the juice to drink with my meal. Nice pic and I am sure that hen enjoys the odd nibble.

Yep, I don't care so much for the white heads either. Remember - now's the time to sow the seeds of your winter cabbages - the likes ofJanuary King and Savoys.

January kings and especially Savoy are the varieties I will sow this year. I am not going to bother with Sprouts this year. I luv them but others dont. I hate waist. We will buy a few for xmas. I have Curly Kale planted which we all like in the winter and as its cut and come again a good crop to grow.

I concur. Jan King and Savoys for me too, plus half a dozen heads of Red Drumhead. And Kale - my favourite variety of that is Pentland Brig: after giving repeated crops of leaves all through winter, it gives out broccoli-like spears in Spring. Like you, I'm giving up on sprouts. I grew half a bed of them last year and only ate them on Christmas day! Having said that, maybe I'll grow three or four plants - just for Christmas

Pentland Brig!!. Never heard of that one. Sounds interesting I`ll lookout for it. As for sprouts. My ground is too fine. I stamp on the ground around the base of the plants to firm it up but the plants still fall over, especially after a dry spell. So most of my sprouts are open and feathery. I will buy the odd bag from the farm shop.

Sean Ph'lib wrote:Yep, I don't care so much for the white heads either. Remember - now's the time to sow the seeds of your winter cabbages - the likes ofJanuary King and Savoys.

Thanks for the heads up Sean, will do them this week.

You're welcome Deryn.

Would it be a mistake to plant my winter cabbages where my early ones are now when they are finished?

Well, firstly, you won't want to plant out your winter cabbages tii out in July. Secondly, it's generally recommended that you don't follow brassicas with brassicas; but I do it. I think, if you dress the ground well with plenty garden compost or well-rotted manure and the plants you put in are good strong ones, there shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't put brassicas on the same ground next year though. You read horror stories about club- root infecting ground planted with brassicas, but in over forty years growing cabbages, I've never seen it. I rely on healthy plants in a healthy soil, which entails plenty organic matter, strong plants and absolutely no artificial fertilizers or poison sprays. I often wonder, if you went into a butcher shop and the butcher was spraying fly spray all over the meat, would you buy it? Yet farmers spray just as deadly stuff on the cabbages and people still buy them!

Thank you for all the advice Sean. I have only just sown the seeds, was doing a bit of forward planning. It certainly does make you wonder what most people eat all the time, its also very tasteless. We have stopped eating out unless absolutely necessary as nothing taste anything like we have at home.

Same as that. I don't eat in restaurants. Firstly, what they're cooking is probably rubbish and, secondly, who knows what they're doing with it? If I'm away from home, I fast.