learning from my mistakes...

Last year my Brassicas didn’t really come too much, I planted cabbage, sprouting broccoli & Brussels sprouts I had a few cabbages but the  sprouts & broccoli were a disaster, so this year I want to try to do better and actually get a harvest from them.

The first mistake I made last year was that I planted the sprouts and Broccoli far too close to each other and didn’t allow room for growth and for air to get between them. Also I didn’t stake them until they were mature so it was hard to get them growing straight. Also they were completely infested with black fly to the point where I just gave up on them and pulled them up and burnt them.

So this year is going to be different the first thing that is different is I actually grew them from seed rather than them given to me by a friend secondly I have given the soil a really good digging over added some lime and also loads of egg shells crushed up, this will give them a boost of calcium that they need when growing.(read my earlier post about the egg shell)

I have also given them a lot of room to grow I have only put 4 or 5 per row and in the sprouting broccoli case only 4 per row I will give them 2 weeks then they will all be staked and tied in at an early stage to help them grow tall and strong

I have also got a bottle of washing up liquid ready diluted down in a spray to get the black fly before they start a lot of people suggested this to me last year so I will give it a bash this year.

Lastly I have netted them from the start, I didn’t really have a problem with birds eating them last year but i am not taking any chances.

So that’s the brassicas planted out for another year let’s hope I get to try the fruits of my labour this year…..

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