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Sprouting broccoli
Brassicas are a large genus of plants in the mustard family. The group includes vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, Bok Choy, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, various mustards, turnips and rutabagas. The vegetables in this group are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Brassicas also encompass visually pleasing varieties, such as ornamental cabbage that provide winter beauty in an otherwise stark landscape. Caring for members of this family of plants, however, takes patience and vigilance.
Keep the soil moist around new seedlings until they are established. Water established plants at least once a week; brassicas need plenty of water to produce a good harvest.
Use a multi-purpose insecticide at the first sign of insects such as aphids, cabbage maggots and harlequin bugs. You can use insecticidal soap for the aphids; it is safer and less toxic than commercial pesticides. Spray plants with a microbial insecticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis to kill caterpillars such as cabbage looper, cabbage webworm, cross-striped cabbageworm, diamondback moth and imported cabbageworm.
Put netting over brassicas to protect them from birds. You can also put blank or used CDs on string hanging from garden stakes to keep birds at bay.
Ellie Kuykendall has 15 years of writing and editing experience. Her travel and insurance articles have appeared in national magazines. Her book contributions include biographies, and multi-cultural and Holocaust lesson plans. She was a real estate broker, interior designer and taught ESL in Korea and at Duke. E-mail her at elliemk@mindspring.com.
Photo by: opencage.org
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