I lost more than 3/4 my Purple sprouting the year before last and all of it last winter. It is all planted out now and growing well. Does anyone have any advice for giving it a better chance of pulling through the winter?
Looking at whose plants survived and whose perished last winter here, shelter makes a significant difference. Plants next to the site fence or protected by other plants or even an extra ring of debris netting round the bed did better. One guy with a lot of plants on his plot in the middle of the site lost all of them except one sheltered by a blue plastic barrel (which was frozen solid).
Possibly variety and just the size and strength of the plant at the time of the freeze may make a difference. But it's shelter I think. Something you can do something about.
I agree with DV, last year I lost some of the so called hardy plants PSB Kale etc, so this year I am keeping debris netting on them through the winter.
I usually grow my PSB over the winter and harvest it about February and I have to say I don't usually have any problems with it coping with winter weather. Just make sure it is heeled in firmly and staked. Mine came through last winter no problem despite it being the harshest I have known. I think it is just a case of, you win some and you lose some. Lets hope that this winter is milder than last. busy_lizzie
Last year was exceptional; I lost stuff which came happily through the freeze in the previous winter.
Many thanks for your comments, I did say that I lost 100% and one did survive behind the compost bin, so yes shelter does seem to be important. Unfortunately I did not net the sole survivor and the muntjac got it. Oh and the one that has just sprouted from the root now.
We have a site very badly exposed to the north west wind and without the leaves on the trees and hedges it is even worse in winter. Being about the furthest possible from the sea we get some surprisingly cold nights in winter.
I grew several varieties and they all died.
I like the idea of lining up some water barrels as extra protection, I have four so I can easily drain them and move them back come spring. Not only will they keep the wind off but as water freezes it puts out heat, and quite often the water will only freeze at the top so there is warmer water below. I could also try a pile of straw bales.
Maybe I can rig up a tower of plastic bottles filled with water.
I know last year was an exception, but lots of people at least had some survive.
Again many thanks and keep the ideas coming.
At least the cold winter seems to have cut the cabbage white butterfly and whitefly population down
Hi RSJK, Yes it has around my plot too. usually i am breathing them in, they are so bad. Have really noticed a difference with other insects on my plot too. So I suppose every cloud has a silver lining. busy_lizzie
I am also wondering about fertilizing. There is some suggestion that too much nitrogen makes then produce too much weak green growth that then does not survive the winter.
I think it's usually best to grow things hard, especially when they have to overwinter.
So how do you harden PSB.
Don't use fertiliser; let it grow at its own rate. Which is fast enough, after all!
My problems is that our light soils are not actually perfect for brassicas so they tend to need feeding to do well. The nutrients leech out very easily. Not that we have had much rain so far this year. The PSB seems very small this year and is still mostly only just over knee high.
Mine is just 5" tall at the moment. Are you feeding the plants. About the freezing weather. We lost almost all of our Aqadulce broad beans and that was with a double thickness of scaffolding netting so we won't be growing any overwintering beans again. We havent grown pSB for 2 years and really missed it....hence the 30 plants this year. We will put the double net around them just in case but I think they will withstand the bad weather better than the beans
Digeroo..to grow them 'hard'..once your plants have reached to decent size..eg..by end of September. Don't feed them anymore after that..but let them use what ever is there and the growth will slow down and start harden off..in theory would would still have couple months or so growing time..and soild should have enough to support that slow growth.
You only need to provide moisture to keep them going if its not raining...
Even we had really hard winter last time around..I had lot of losses but there was still odd plant that survived without any protection and they were on edge of the bed too..so most exposed position.
Maybe you need to add lots of organic matter rather than fertiliser. If that's all you put in, you're not replacing humus, which oxidises slowly, and the soil deteriorates.