Walking Stick Cabbage

[Garden Manager]

I had a look around for info on this but couldnt realy find anything that was relevant.

I sowed and planted some of this (peculiar) plant last summer/autumn. They over wintered well and have since grown like triffids! I grew them mainly with the idea of cropping them and using the leaves like proper cabbage (albeit cut and come again cabbage!). Unfortunately I havent cropped them as much as I would have likes and the cabbage white caterpillars have moved in on them and done a fair bit of damage (leaving my sprouts virtualy untouched nearby, I might add).

I am wondering what was the best thing to do with them now. Is it worth keeping them going in the hope of cropping from them a bit more or should I just cut them down and dry the stems off?

Please advise.

[Garden Manager]

[Lauren S]

If you don't need the room for other plantings, I would (personally) be tempted to leave them. They are distracting the cabbage whites away from your other crops.

Lauren  :)

[Garden Manager]

If you don't need the room for other plantings, I would (personally) be tempted to leave them. They are distracting the cabbage whites away from your other crops.

Lauren  :)

Hmmm there's the rub. I have some wintr salad plants 'on the go', sown in modules because i didnt have spaces to sow direct. However they have only just germinated so i am other crops to be finished before they are ready to go in the ground. So i dont need the remove the cabbages for that. What i will  need the space for is as a nursery area for border ornamentals. I have one border needing renovation this autumn, plus some young plants that would benefit from being 'lined out' to grow on a bit while I sort out their permanent homes.

So as dramatic and architectural the WS cabbage are they may soon have to go anyway. I have for now removed some of the weaker plants and removed a lot of the lower leaves to provide air and light to the area, and have er 'bumped off' all the caterpillars i can find! ;-)