Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: kitty on April 14, 2006, 16:01:15

Title: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 14, 2006, 16:01:15
right-this will probably show you i am as dense as a dense thing..but-its was last year-saw some psb plant for sale-and planted them....erm...about july august september time...sorry i cant be specific-last year whizzed by in a hail of illness-anyway-i know i planted them at the right time...for cropping about now i thought ...except they havent.cropped i mean.
the plants are strong ,sturdy and healthy and about 1' tall.....i banked up the soil to prevent them rocking.....we do look out over open field and its a bit windy-but i wouldnt say to excess....so-is it too early to get anything from them?
shall i leave them?
or do they crop later than i thought-about mid summer by the look of them...
heeeelp!
kitty
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on April 14, 2006, 19:47:07
If they're only a foot high they're pretty mingy, but they'll produce something when they're ready. They could be the late variety.
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 14, 2006, 20:03:55
'pretty mingy?'


pretty mingy??????-is that a fothergills or a thomson and morgan variety? ;D

rightio-thanks for that robert-i shall await the outcome with interest and trepidation..i may just have stumbled on that chelsea prizewinning variety-the 5 year -to -fruition psb...i can hardly wait....




but maybe i'll have to....... :'(

kitty
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: stuffed on April 14, 2006, 22:47:43
Mine has only just started but it is a couple of feet tall.
Hope you get something from them before too long ;)
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Mrs Ava on April 14, 2006, 22:51:58
Some of mine are nearly 5 foot tall and are now sprouting regularly and abundantly.  Mine went in mid summer 2005.  You will be enjoying salads of purple sprouting during July!  ;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Roy Bham UK on April 14, 2006, 23:34:52
This is my first attempt, when should you start harvesting them? Mine are looking very purple and sprartin but very small heads and I have ashamedly only recently put netting over them, the pigeons have ravaged the leaves but the plants still keep growing. ???

Am I right in thinking I could have eaten the leaves if I'd got there B4 the pigeons? ;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: cowellen on April 14, 2006, 23:38:16
WHAT IS IT  ::) ???
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Roy Bham UK on April 14, 2006, 23:39:59
Quote from: cowellen on April 14, 2006, 23:38:16
WHAT IS IT  ::) ???

Purple Sprouting Brocolli
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 15, 2006, 16:58:46
[quote
Some of mine are nearly 5 foot tall and are now sprouting regularly and abundantly.  Mine went in mid summer 2005[/quote]
grrr!
theres always one isnt there! ::) ;D ;D ;D
i would expect nothing less from you ej!lol!
...
me however...i'm lucky mine are still alive let alone spraaaatin'!i shall enjoy mine a little later then i spose!

me too roy-i have never had the room before so its my first year too-we could compete against each other for the slowest spraaatins!

cowellen..i used the abbreviation psb as i'm never sure how to spell brokkolly...... ;)
thanks for the input folks...thinking about it i reckon my site is a bit exposed so maybe thats what held them back....no bother with pigeons tho....and yes you can (and should!)eat the leaves surrounding the purply bits roy)-but then they do have a gourmet selection of crops on the surrounding farmland!

they probably looked at my weedy ol' plants and thought-'hmm...lets go raid farmer giles field instead.'... ;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: MrsKP on April 15, 2006, 17:09:30
fallin off my chair p-ing myself.  i suspect the serious allotmenteers may frown about us total novices (although i hope the ones on here do realise that we try, we just don't know ....yet.

i'm just going to be so grateful if i get anything at all.   :P
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: simon404 on April 15, 2006, 17:21:53
I sow mine in May to be planted out in July and am starting to harvest now, a bit later than usual due to the cold spring. If you didn't get yours out till September (Kitty) then that would explain the lateness, you'll still get something eventually. Don't eat the leaves (Roy), that will stop them growing! Get your pigeon protection on in good time!  ;)
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Roy Bham UK on April 15, 2006, 19:52:56
Quote from: simon404 on April 15, 2006, 17:21:53
Don't eat the leaves (Roy), that will stop them growing! Get your pigeon protection on in good time!  ;)

::) Oops! too late, the pigeons have gobbled up most of e'm >:( not sure how big the purpley bits grow, can anyone advize please? as my largest crown is the size of a fifty pence piece, :-[  I must remember to net them in future ::) :P ;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 15, 2006, 20:15:15
thats about the size we eat them at roy-pick them so that you have about4" of stalk with it and when you have enough for a meal-steam them-i particuarly like them with a cheese sauce......but on their own with a roast dinner is lovely too!
they will keep growing too so you get lots of pickings-take a few off each plant......
kitty..sister of plenitude!
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Amazin on April 15, 2006, 21:58:44
Hey twin!

See my earlier thread:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,18118.msg186504/topicseen,topicseen#msg186504

Mine are about 18" - 2ft but no sign of sprouting yet - I got mine from Dobies as plug plants and planted them in June or July of last year as far as I recall. They're not in an exposed area and the pigeons don't go near them, as my cats will testify, so I reckon we've got the same variety - "Patiens ova Saintus"

;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 16, 2006, 16:36:24
twinnie!!!!
long time no see! ;D
ahaaaaaa!thank gawd fer that!
its not just me then!!phew!
i had a v. close inspection and there is just the tiniest sprart on one white one .....still no sign on the purpil ones..well.when everyones eaten all theirs up-you and i will still be a-noshin' psb,amazin!!

i've been in my allotment/garden all day-gawd!me feet!....and although i suppose it is'open'(to the fields'..i dont think i can really call it 'exposed'..anyway-definately no pigeons-7 cats lined up lickin their chops....albeit in a very large run attached to the conservatory...the pigeons aren't bright enough to know the cats couldnt really eat them!

so...i shall just have to be patient*sigh*
kitty ;D
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: cowellen on April 16, 2006, 22:27:59
ok - all this talk of Brocoli im jealous - i've got Sprouting Broccoli - Autumn Spear -

is it ok to sow it now ?

can I start it off at home in mini prop ?

cheers
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Merry Tiller on April 16, 2006, 22:41:09
Brought 2 carrier bags-full home yesterday, I love the stuff, luckily so does Ma-in-law and step-daughter
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: kitty on April 17, 2006, 08:17:00
cowellen..mine says to sow now ,plant out when they're ready and expect to harvers march april time next year...however-as you can see from my post above-expecting and getting are 2 different things..course-we could all go round merry tillers and nick his,,,,, ;D ;D ;D

i sowed some yesterday so we can race each other cow! ;)
kitty
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: anneski on April 17, 2006, 18:44:05
I brought a mixed load (250 plants!) of brassicas from Ebay last year, including purple and white sprouting - and forgot to label it when I planted. I've been eating the leaves as kale and greens, and thought I'd lost the sprouting. Had a week off due to no car so imagine my delight on arriving today to find heaps of the purple and white stuff waiting to be picked!  :D

I am soooo chuffed, and have a shed load of the stuff together with baby cauliflowers (which I also thought were no hopers) for tea tonight, yum yum!
Title: Re: heeeeeelp!purpil sprartin!
Post by: Hippychick on April 17, 2006, 20:46:48
Best stuff in the world ;D

My plants are about 3' and we are just starting too eat the stuff for breakfast,dinner and tea, as are friends and relatives.  Don't worry about the size I have a couple of little rougue plants who are cropping just as heavily as the big ones.  Size is not everything!!

And as my Mum use to say 'patience is a virtue".  When I'm lamenting the sad demise of this fantastic crop I bet you'll be mid harvest and having trouble keeping up!