How to plant:
Propagate by
seed
Germination temperature: 45 F to 85 F
- Will germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 F.
Days to emergence: 5 to 8
Maintenance and care:
Grow in summer for fall harvest, similar to a fall cabbage or broccoli crop.Direct
seed about 4 months before expected fall frost. Plant seed 3 to 4
inches apart, ¼ to ½ inch deep in rows about 30 inches apart. Thin
plants to about 18 inches apart.
Start transplants in late May and transplant in late June or early July. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart.
Plants
have shallow root systems. Avoid even shallow cultivation. Mulch to
protect roots, reduce weed competition and conserve moisture.
Use floating row covers to help protect from early insect infestations.
To
help reduce disease, do not plant Brussels sprouts or other cole crops
in the same location more than once every three or four years.
Pests:
Cabbage aphids - A hard stream of water can be used to remove aphids
from plants. Wash off with water occasionally as needed early in the
day. Check for evidence of natural enemies such as gray-brown or
bloated parasitized aphids and the presence of alligator-like larvae of
lady beetles and lacewings.Cabbage
root maggot - White maggot larvae tunnel in and feed on roots of
plants. Damage causes wilting early on, death of plants later on.
Cabbageworms
- Handpick and destroy. Row covers may be useful on small plantings to
help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and
remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer.
Flea
Beetles - Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage. Put
in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in
midsummer. Control weeds.
Cutworms - Control weeds. Cardboard collars around each plant give good protection.
Other pests:
Cabbage loopers
Slugs
Nematodes
Diseases:
Clubroot - Locate plants in a part of the garden different from
previous year's location. If soil is infested, add lime to raise pH of
soil to 7.2
