Spring cabbages bolting

[DazzerelliParticipant]

Hi Charles,

I’ve just noticed that my Spring Cabbages, First Early Market Mastercut 218, have bolted. I started them in modules on 25th August and planted out at the end of September. They have always looked really health, apart from when they got attacked by Pigeons in February, but they came back really strongly. Recently it looked like they were starting to form nice hearts. Why do Spring Cabbage do this?

Darren

[ladbrokesMember]

mine have done the same and are going to seed after looking great. would it be the very warm early spring weather making them bolt.

my kale is bolting too

[charlesModerator]

 Darren that is disappointing, funnily enough I was harvesting some nice (if small) ones this evening, variety Pixie, and noticed some others (Pyramid) with smaller hearts looking as though they are thinking of shooting upwards…. I think it is stress from drought, and perhaps the heat, together with a varietal tendency and I have not grown the one you mention. So you have a lot of cabbage to eat now! Frustrating after waiting for over seven months!

Ladbrokes it is normal for kale to flower now (Brussels too if there are any left) and all shoots are good to eat.

[ladbrokesMember]

spring hero were my type

[charlesModerator]

 and they should not have bolted, the weather has certainly played a part, including the warm late autumn which brought them on too far before the cold in February…

[lindayoungParticipant]

Dear Charles,
Should I lime the ground before sowing/planting brassicas on my allotment. I manured the ground last autumn but a lot of it still remains on top of the soil although I keep raking it around?

Linda

[charlesModerator]

 You do not need to unless your soil is acid, say pH6 and lower, which is unlikely: can you grow blueberries and camelias in your soil? (sign of acidity). My pH is 7.3 and I have never limed. 

The manure is fine on top, no need to keep raking it unless there are some large lumps to knock out. Treading on compost and manure when dry is effective at breaking lumps. It is a protective mulch and food for any soil organisms when they are hungry, probably the next time it rains as it is so dry just now. I have hardly touched my soil/compost/manure surface during the last month, to leave all the moisture there, and I notice when pulling some small weeds among garlic and brassicas that there are lots of vegetable roots just below the surface, feeding into my autumnal application of organic matter. 

[Author]

Posts