The next of the 4 plots in the 4-year crop rotation is brassicas, the cabbage and mustard family. These follow legumes that were in this plot last year as they are heavy nitrogen feeders. They will be followed by nightshades, and then onions & roots the year after that.
The beginner plants that I’ve chosen for this category are cabbage, kale, and radish. If you are sowing these seeds inside, then ideally you’ll sow in compost, in either modular trays or small pots.
Cabbage
When to plant
You can sow seeds inside or directly outside, from late February to early May, protecting them from the cold if sowing earlier on. Check the packet of your chosen variety for specific dates.
Where to plant
You want to plant compact varieties 1 ft apart, and larger varieties 18 inches apart. If you are planting outside, then make a trench along the row you want to plant cabbages in, or dig holes where you want them to grow, and then sow a couple of seeds per cabbage that you want to grow. Usually when you buy cabbage seeds you get hundreds in a pack, so you can, if you want, sow 2-3 seeds per hole to have a greater chance of the cabbages growing. If you do this and multiple plants start growing, you’ll want to leave only 1 there. There are multiple things you can do if you get multiple growing in a hole. Put them in a pot and give them to someone or sell them to someone; put them somewhere else in the garden, maybe you even have a cabbage spot where no seeds germinated; you can eat the shoots; or you can compost them.
If planting inside, plant in modular trays or in small pots. If you plant in modular trays, then you may need to pot them on before planting them outside. Plant 1-2 seeds per section in a modular tray, or 3-4 seeds in the middle of an individual pot. If you have extra seedlings growing, remove them. They can be planted out after around 5 weeks, ensuring you limit root disturbance.
Growing
You’ll want to protect plants from slugs, snails and pigeons. Cover with insect proof mesh or fleece, or plant inside a polytunnel. The plants won’t be flowering, so you don’t need to worry about pollinators also being kept out.
Harvesting
They should be ready to harvest somewhere between 4 and 6 months from sowing, depending on the variety. Once they have a firm head and are a size you are happy with, you can start harvesting. If you are picking more than one, try to pick alternating cabbages, giving the remaining ones more space.
To harvest, cut through the stem just above ground level. You can score a deep cross into the stump and they can produce a second, smaller cabbage. When you have finished harvesting, either after the first or second cabbage, dig the root up to prevent disease.
Kale
Kale shares much of the same sowing season as the other beginner crops, but it will live through winter, even living up to 2 years.
Kale is often, due it’s slow growth, planted away from the main bed so that it doesn’t take up space during the growing season. It’s up to you whether or not you plant it straight to the final position or not. I personally just plant it where I want it to be for the entire season instead of needing to transplant it part-way through the season.
When to plant
If you are sowing seeds directly outside, then you can do so at any time from March to June.
If you are sowing seeds inside, then do so in March or April.
Where to plant
If you are planting straight outside, the final positions want to be 18 inches apart, but you can sow them as close as 3 inches apart, which is enough for later transplanting, and should allow you to grow enough for the final spacing. If you are growing them in their final position, you can either grow them 3 inches apart, then harvest some as baby leaves when they get crowded, or pull the seedlings up and do the same as above. If you are growing kale to use the leaves as salad leaves, then you can grow them 3-6 inches apart, keeping them at their original distance.
If you are sowing seeds inside, then plant 1-2 seeds per section in a modular tray, or 3-4 in the middle of an individual pot. If you have extra seedlings growing, remove them. Plant out, after hardening off, in May or June, after the risk of frost has passed.
Growing
You’ll want to protect plants from slugs, snails and pigeons. Cover with insect proof mesh or fleece, or plant inside a polytunnel. The plants won’t be flowering, so you don’t need to worry about pollinators also being kept out.
Harvesting
If you are growing them to use as salad leaves, then start harvesting as soon as the plants reach about 6 inches tall. I’d recommend picking individual leaves from multiple plants, always making sure to leave plenty of leaves on the plant. A general rule is to pick no more than 1/3 of the leaves from a single plant.
If you are growing to use more mature kale leaves, then you can start to remove leaves when the plant reaches 1ft tall, again making sure to leave plenty of leaves on the plant.
You should be able to harvest leaves once, maybe twice a week once the plants are big enough for you to start harvesting from them.
Radish
When to plant
You can plant radishes under cold protection as early as February. You can plant April to July if you want to do so without cold protection. If you want regular harvests, then succession sow them, planting a few seeds each week, rather than all your radish seeds at the same time. Radishes usually do better before the hottest part of the summer.
Where to plant
Plant radishes directly into their final growing position, spaced about 1-2 inches apart, with 6 inches between rows. If you sow them closer than that, take some out when they start growing.
Growing
You may want to protect plants from slugs, snails and pigeons. Cover with insect proof mesh or fleece, or plant inside a polytunnel. The plants won’t be flowering, so you don’t need to worry about pollinators also being kept out. In my experience, once they are established, they are okay with pests until late summer or early autumn when the caterpillars get them.
Harvesting
Early sowings may take 6-8 weeks to harvest, with later sowings (once the weather has warmed up) taking around 4 weeks. Harvest young when roots are around 1 inch in diameter.
The leaves can also be eaten, although due to the texture it is recommended to cook them. You can pick some leaves from radishes that are still in the ground, or just wait until you harvest it and use all of the leaves too.
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