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The right conditions for
brassicas - The cabbage family.
All members of the Cabbage family
are classed as Brassicas. This group also includes some ornamental
plants as well. Wallflowers (Erysimums) are also Brassicas. You only
have to crush the stem or foliage of a wallflower to release the
typical 'cabbage' smell!
Generally Brassicas need a good
fertile, non-acid soil, slightly on the heavy side. They like to
have their roots firmly embedded in the soil. For instance,
you could plant Brassicas - Cabbages - in an un-dug soil - well
firmed in at planting - and they would be happy! (The original
no-dig gardening!).
If the soil is acid, then it will
need to be limed, for brassicas prefer a slightly alkaline soil, and
this also discourages the Brassicas disease - Clubroot.
If you have a light soil and you
want to grow members of the Brassicas family, plant the seedlings
in a shallow drill - around 75mm deep - and gradually earth up the
stems as the plants start to grow. If you plant the young plants at
ground level, don't be afraid to 'heel' them into position - as long
as the soil is not wed and muddy. You should not be able to pull out
a seedling after you have planted it firmly.
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