Author Topic: Sprouts  (Read 5278 times)

Tee Gee

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Sprouts
« on: October 24, 2014, 13:45:29 »
Had a look at my sprouts this morning and decided to harvest this stick of Maximus.

As you can see they are about 2'-3" (70cm) high and the sprouts are about the size of a golf ball, I have put a £2 coin on one to get an indication of size.




Silverleaf

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2014, 14:04:47 »
Wow, they look great!

antipodes

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2014, 14:34:30 »
I have started harvesting mine too! But I never cut them down???? I just break off the sprouts that are ready and let them continue to grow...
2012 - Snow in February, non-stop rain till July. Blight and rot are rife. Thieving voles cause strife. But first runner beans and lots of greens. Follow an English allotment in urban France: http://roos-and-camembert.blogspot.com

Humbug carrot

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2014, 14:50:19 »
They look great!
We had a disaster with sprouts this year, tried an open pollinated variety this year, out of the six plants two look like cabbages , two look like rape, one died and one looks almost like a sprout but still has no sprouts developing on the stem. :sad10:
I think we will stick to our usual F1 variety next year

lottie lou

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2014, 17:53:44 »
How do you do it Tee Gee?  I have never managed to grow sprouts properly.  The first year I got titchy ones and all other years had to settle for the tops as veg.

Digeroo

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2014, 19:06:19 »
Great looking sprouts TG, mine are still rather small but hope to have enough for xmas.  We have very free draining soil so a good F1 is essential or they just blow.

I also like picking a whole sprout tree and having it in the fridge especially when the weather is cold.

I really like a variety called Amoroso but it is not longer available in the UK and the postage from Holland is expensive.   Does really well on the soil here.

pumkinlover

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2014, 19:10:16 »
Looks good teegee. Do they need a frost or been bred not to?

Tee Gee

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2014, 10:51:07 »
Hi folks sorry for taking so long in getting back to you I find this time of the year is a busy time for me as I have to get my two plots and garden ready before I go into hibernation until February.

Been a bit delayed this year due to the weather and my load of horse muck hasn't arrived yet!

Glad you liked my sprouts!

Now to answer your replies;

Quote
antipodes-I just break off the sprouts that are ready and let them continue to grow.

I find the whole stick is easier for me as my plots are about four miles from me and it saves me making lots of trips, particularly if the weather is bad.

Quote
Humbug carrot-I think we will stick to our usual F1 variety next year

I always use F1's for all of my brassicas as I find you usually get what it says on the packet!


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pumpkinlover_ Do they need a frost or been bred not to?

There are some who say this but my guide is the plant/s themselves.

As you know sprouts grow in the leaf axils and as they expand the push the leaf off.

When the leaves drop off I see this as the sprout telling me it is ready as it does not need the leaf anymore.

A bit of a tenuous idea but I find it works for me!

As far as the frost is concerned I can't say I have noticed any difference!


Quote
Digeroo - We have very free draining soil so a good F1 is essential or they just blow.

I also like picking a whole sprout tree and having it in the fridge especially when the weather is cold.

Your thoughts are very similar to mine


antipodes

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 13:36:46 »
Funnily enough if I have lots of trouble with other type of veg I always have good sprouts. I plant them out early, at least June, push them very firmly into the ground, net them to keep off pigeons. When I plant I add some compost and after they have been in the ground about 6 weeks I rake in some slow release fertilizer pellets. That's it. I find they grow better when left to their own devices!  This year I have not been troubled by caterpillars as I was last year _ wonder if it's because I grew tagetes near them???
2012 - Snow in February, non-stop rain till July. Blight and rot are rife. Thieving voles cause strife. But first runner beans and lots of greens. Follow an English allotment in urban France: http://roos-and-camembert.blogspot.com

goodlife

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2014, 14:06:07 »
  This year I have not been troubled by caterpillars as I was last year _ wonder if it's because I grew tagetes near them???

Well...it could be 'half of the story' to the reason...
It could be that those flowers attracted beneficial insects that kept caterpillars away. There was some research done..that humming of bees wings will scare caterpillars...they think predator is coming, causing them to drop off to safety on ground > beetles will clear them off from ground  :icon_cheers:
So that's the theory...in practice, well that is for you to judge...I have flowers all over the place attracting all sort of bees and insect + few beehives and their occupants and the result are that even I do get little bit caterpillar damage, it is so little that it is no bother and I'm not doing nothing to stop them  :icon_cheers: In my mind it works  :icon_thumleft: :toothy4:

Silverleaf

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2014, 16:53:22 »
Interesting about bees and caterpillars!

I grew nasturtiums next to my brassicas because the butterflies are supposed to prefer them - well that appears to be completely untrue. Nasturtiums are untouched, and there's a few small white 'pillars on my broccoli (I'm not worried, just a few chunks nibbled from the leaves but the plants are coping fine).

I also let some radishes go to seed, and between those flowers, the nasturtiums and the nearby runner beans and flowering mispoona there were bees all over the place. Still caterpillars, but maybe there would have been more if the bees hadn't been there? I certainly haven't seen any large white ones, only small whites.

Tee Gee

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2014, 17:07:57 »
I am still not convinced about companion planting etc.

I always have in the back of my mind regarding marigolds& tomatoes for example.

If there is a fly infestation did they come into the greenhouse because of the Tomatoes or the Marigolds?

Lets say it was for the marigolds!

Would they have come in if there had been no marigolds?

As far as I am concerned the jury will always be out on this one (and similar remedies)

Or am I too skeptical?

Silverleaf

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2014, 22:23:12 »
I figure if I grow as many beneficial insect-attracting plants as I can, it can't hurt anything and will make my garden ecosystem more diverse.

Plus all of those plants that I grow have some other use, like looking pretty, smelling nice, and/or being edible (either to us or to the rabbit). I grow nasturtiums for all those reasons!

goodlife

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2014, 08:19:52 »
Quote
it can't hurt anything and will make my garden ecosystem more diverse

 :icon_cheers: :icon_thumleft:

ACE

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2014, 09:15:43 »
I prefer the smaller spouts, usually a bit tighter and just right this time of year for dipping in chocolate and putting them in Ferrero rocher wrappers for the trick or treaters.

chriscross1966

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2014, 13:30:07 »
I am still not convinced about companion planting etc.

I always have in the back of my mind regarding marigolds& tomatoes for example.

If there is a fly infestation did they come into the greenhouse because of the Tomatoes or the Marigolds?

Lets say it was for the marigolds!

Would they have come in if there had been no marigolds?

As far as I am concerned the jury will always be out on this one (and similar remedies)

Or am I too skeptical?

As a sort of test of this I planted tagetes around some aubergines that were already showing signs of infestation by black, wite and greenfly in my greenhouse... end result a couple of weeks later the plants were clean and the infestation hadn't spread.... so despite the fact that tagetes are utterly vile (they smell funny and I find them offensively garish) I always grow a few strips in the spring to plant around the tomatoes and peppers.... never seem to see any little bugs in there, just slugs, snails and annoyingly, tomato moth caterpillars....

Silverleaf

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Re: Sprouts
« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2014, 15:05:54 »
Glad I'm not the only one that finds tagetes ugly. I don't like the shape or the colour scheme and think they look unnecessarily fussy.

I like calendula though, with their simple daisy shape. I also like that they are edible!

 

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