Kale and Cabbage plants from a Garden Centre

[macsonParticipant]

Hi Charles,

I’ve bought some cabbage plants from a local Garden Centre as I am not yet organised enough to sow my own from seed, even after reading all your books and attending your course! I baulk at buying them at full price (£5 for 12), so I wait until they are priced at £1 for 12. They do look a bit sad and eaten by caterpillars, but when I’ve taken off all the eaten and yellowing leaves, they look quite good.
Is it too late to spray them with BT? I had great succuss with this spray during the Summer. Do they over-winter in the soil? Also, should they be planted out straight away or would they be better off being grown on in bigger pots for a while. They’ve been ouside for a while I believe. They are about 4 inches tall and in 5cm plugs.

I need to get them all growing so I can feed our new rabbit, so he can produce additions to the compost, so I can feed the soil, so I can grow cabbages, so I can feed the rabbit etc. 🙂

Thanks in advance,

Martin

[charlesModerator]

Macson I would plant them asap like today! Set them quite deep to support those stems.
Soil is still warm and they can start growing immediately.
I would not bother with Bt now, but it’s possible if you want, just once, after which these plants grow in a season of no caterpillars. Good for rabbit next spring.

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