Seventeen varieties of brassica vegetables to cultivate for your garden:
Putting Down Roots: Brassica Basics, Their Delights and Dangers
Get your hands dirty with the brassica clan – a diverse family of scrumptious, nutrient-rich veggies that bring flavor, health benefits, and versatility to your table. From broccoli and cauliflower to kale and Brussels sprouts, brace yourself for a splendid exploration into this edible universe. But heed this warning, for brassicas can also attract unwelcome guests, so arm yourself with knowledge and cunning strategies to keep 'em pest-free and thriving.
First things first – what's the scoop on brassicas? A member of the Brassicaceae family, these culinary powerhouses boast a genetic resemblance and share common attributes, such as thriving in fertile, well-draining soil. Their taste profiles vary from mellow to spicy, and they're celebrated for their crunch, texture, and an array of health advantages, offering heaps of vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, and glucosinolates, these latter compounds being thought to shield you from certain cancers. Moreover, soluble fiber abounds, which aids digestion and lowers cholesterol.
Brassicas can be cultivated year-round, depending on the variety and season. Some are a breeze to grow and adapt to various conditions, like radishes, kale, and mustard greens, while others, such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, necessitate cool temperatures, adequate space, and a greater investment of time and care.
Many brassicas can be sprouted from seeds or plug plants. For instance, radishes mature the quickest, often ready to be harvested within four weeks of sowing. Rocket and mustard greens are similarly swift-growing, often ready for plucking within just six weeks. Conversely, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower demand patience, with the former taking approximately seven months to produce a crop and the latter maturing in three to six months.
Feeding and protecting your brassicas is essential for success, especially as they're enthusiastic feeders that require bountiful nutrients for optimal growth, particularly when they're kept in the ground for a substantial span. Before planting, amend your soil with compost or well-rotted manure, and four weeks after sowing, commence applying organic liquid fertilizer on a weekly basis or so. Mulching your brassicas with compost is also beneficial, as it aids in moisture retention and suppresses weeds.
Crop rotation is another vital practice for growing brassicas. Shun planting them in the same location for more than one season, instead rotating them with legumes or root vegetables to eliminate diseases such as clubroot.
But it ain't all smooth sailing for the brassica crew. Pests lurk in the shadows, causing mayhem and damage. Some common culprits include:
- Flea Beetles: These scoundrels feast on young brassica foliage, leaving tiny pin-like holes.
- Cabbage Worms: These are the little caterpillars of butterflies and moths that chow down on your precious brassicas.
- Aphids: These pesky critters feed on sap, causing curled or distorted leaves.
- Swede Midge: A nefarious pest that can cripple growth and deform roots.
Fortunately, organic methods are at your disposal to combat these nuisances:- Cultural Practices: Rotate crops, keep your gardening area clean and tidy, and dispose of infected plants promptly.- Biological Controls: Encourage ladybugs, lacewings, and other predators that chow down on aphids and other small pests. You may also employ beneficial nematodes – microscopic worms that kill off larvae – or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacteria that's toxic to various caterpillars.- Physical Barriers: Utilize lightweight row covers to protect plants, sticky traps to capture adult pests, and hand-pick visible pests like caterpillars.- Organic Insecticides: Neem oil and diatomaceous earth can help control aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
Now, let's delve deeper into the specifics of some popular brassicas:
Broccoli (Calabrese)
High in fiber and vitamin C, this cool-season crop is best enjoyed between 15°C and 18°C. After sowing, wait 14-18 weeks for a harvest. In addition to the standard calabrese, you can also try your hand at growing purple sprouting broccoli, which is planted during summer and overwinters in the ground for a very early spring crop.
Cauliflower
This cool-season veg can be found in a range of hues, including white, orange, and purple. Cauliflower is versatile, being edible both raw and cooked, and can be boiled, steamed, roasted, or even mashed. It thrives between 15°C and 18°C and takes three to six months to mature.
Kale
This hearty leafy green is abundant in vitamins A and C. Kale can be consumed raw or cooked by boiling, steaming, sautéing, or baking into crisps, and even added to smoothies or salads. It's adaptive to various temperatures and can be picked year-round.
Brussels Sprouts
Festive, flavorful, and rich in vitamin C, fiber, and glucosinolates, Brussels sprouts can be enjoyed raw or cooked in numerous ways. They're slow-growers, taking around 30 weeks to produce a crop with sprouts ready from autumn through to late winter. They do best between 15°C and 18°C.
Cabbage
Famous for its crinkle-cut impact in coleslaw, cabbage can also be eaten raw or cooked in various ways, such as boiled, steamed, sautéed, or fermented into sauerkraut or kimchi. This versatile veg comes in various varieties and colors, from spring leafy types to hearty winter varieties.
Kohlrabi
This quick-growing brassica has unique flavor, often likened to that of a broccoli stem, and can be consumed raw or cooked by boiling, steaming, or roasting. Kohlrabi matures in around 12 weeks in cooler weather, and harvesting can commence from spring or autumn.
Turnips
Easy to grow and rich in fiber and vitamin C, turnips are a great addition to your brassica repertoire. The maincrop varieties can provide a bounty throughout most of winter, while the baby veg can be eaten all year round. Turnips are best grown in cooler temperatures, around 10°C to 18°C.
Swede
Sweeter than turnip, swede can be enjoyed raw, cooked by boiling, roasting, mashing, or baked into chips. It's high in fiber and vitamin C and grows best in cooler summers, with the harvest period commencing in autumn and winter.
Radishes
Radishes tickle your taste buds with their crunchy texture and peppery flavor, often eaten raw but also prepared by boiling, roasting, or pickling. This fast-growing crop thrives in various temperatures throughout the year, with sowing possible between late winter and late summer, followed by a harvest of four to five weeks subsequent to sowing.
Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are easy to cultivate and bursting with vitamins A and C. Pick these spicy leaves young to consume them raw in salads, or let them grow to maturity and cook them like spinach and chard. Be bold, enjoy mustard greens boiled, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. They're adaptable to various temperatures and can be harvested all year-round.
Pak Choi (Bok Choy)
An enchanting oriental brassica, this leafy green is high in vitamins A and C and best enjoyed between 10°C and 21°C. Pak choi can be harvested in either spring or autumn.
Rocket
This fast-growing crop is arugula by another name – fresh, peppery, and packed with vitamins A and C. Rocket can be consumed in a multitude of dishes, from soups to pasta, salad, and even pizza toppings, and can be plucked from your garden throughout the growing season.
Broccoli Raab
Broccoli raab, also known as "Cima di rapa," is a leafy green with a bitter and nutty flavor. It's high in vitamins A and C, and can be boiled, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. This cool-season crop thrives at temperatures between 10°C and 21°C, with a harvest period in spring or autumn.
Chinese Cabbage
This delicate, sweet, and leafy green is abundant in vitamins A and C, and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked by boiling, steaming, roasting, or stir-frying. This veggie does best between temperatures of 10°C and 21°C, and can be harvested throughout the growing season.
So, there you have it – a guided tour of the brassica kingdom, complete with insider tidbits on their escalating adversaries and strategies for keeping those ne'er-do-wells at bay. Utterly light-hearted yet enlightening, we hope you're itching to sow the seeds of a brassica bonanza in your very own backyard. Happy gardening!
- To diversify your lifestyle and meals, consider incorporating different brassicas into your home-and-garden for food-and-drink. These veggies possess an assortment of recipes that require minimal culinary expertise.
- For instance, kale can be used in smoothies, salads, sautéed dishes, or even baked into crisps. You can also try the fast-growing radishes, which can be matured within four weeks of sowing and are often eaten raw or pickled.
- To ensure healthy crops and optimal nutrition, follow a lifestyle practice called crop rotation when growing brassicas in your home-and-garden, particularly focusing on the brassica family. This helps prevent the buildup of diseases such as clubroot that may impact your food-and-drink production.
