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When the curd starts forming?? What would you use? They are all starting to form, I may get one if they slugs don't get there first as two have been attacked already >:(.

chicken manure?

Have you got any gravil or pellets you can pop around it?

Brill I got chicken pellets. Yes I popped a few blue pellets around last night when I popped up the lot. Wanted to try and not use them really but i'm not letting the slugs eat my caulis as i've looked after them so hard. One point I didn't think they would grow after being eaten by birds.

hehe

i did not plant any but still got a bumper crop

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/cambourne7/P5120598.jpg

That looked a beauiful cauli in your picture i'd be well chuffed if I got one like that.

So had the birds sowed the seeds for you if you didn't?

mine look terrible, they've barely grown and look really sulky.  Don't expect them to do much

Mine look a bit pathetic. The curds have started to form but they look odd, gappy, even. Is this how they should look at this early stage -or am I wasting time and space ? Would they benefit from a feed of something?

Cambourne7 that is brilliant!  I took a pic of one of mine yesterday with my phone:

Surely, if the curds are forming, it's too late for feriliser to take effect??

'Cauliflowers ' according to Mark Twain is nothing but  a cabbage with a college education.  Feed occasionally as this crop is a hungry one. With summer varieties bend a few leaves over to protect curds from the sun. Begin cutting some when they are fairly small rather than wait for them all to mature and produce a glut. They will keep for upto 3 weeks if hung upside down in a cool shed and mist the curds occasionally to keep them moist.

Yes & yes! But I do believe that poor results are more often due to things other than food shortage.

I have never fed any Brassica.

thanks asbean

I have about 1kg in the freezer, have eaten about another kilo in soup. I have given away about another kilo.

I have had enough cauli now!

Hubbies banned me from growing it anymore!

I don't feed mine either Tim and we have pulled the first full size summer one off lottie 1 today. XX Jeannine

I agree with Tim, its a bit late to feed them as feed/fertilizer takes weeks to take affect. One thing i was always taught to get a good result is to give you Cauli,s a little drink every day.

No deep fried Cauli, Cauli Curry, Leek & Cauli Cheese, No7??

Oh well they have had a feed but it can just feed the soil for the next crop. Asbean yours looks good. my leaves have been attacked once so not as nice as yours.

Quote from: gruesome on June 09, 2007, 08:24:27
'Cauliflowers ' according to Mark Twain is nothing but  a cabbage with a college education.  Feed occasionally as this crop is a hungry one. With summer varieties bend a few leaves over to protect curds from the sun. Begin cutting some when they are fairly small rather than wait for them all to mature and produce a glut. They will keep for upto 3 weeks if hung upside down in a cool shed and mist the curds occasionally to keep them moist.

About straight from the book that quote i think it must of be wrote before we had freezers and string, hanging them upside down and misting does not work the Cauli head goes soft. The Cauli leaves need to breath so if you snap a leaf to cover the head you are reducing the plants feed. Draw the leaves together and tie them off. You will always have a glut as cauli,s always seem to come together, good old freezer.

I am  so very very fussy about caulis my family laugh at me, if I buy one it has to be absolutely flawless,even the tiniest mark and I don't want it,and  then wether I buy or grow it has to be cooked that day. I cannot see the upside down thingy working for me.

When growing them I usually buy self wrapping ones.

XX Jeannine

Thanks Rosyred, I've been lucky this year (so far, fingers crossed).  I put my brassicas under an environmesh tunnel, well tucked in all round.  Haven't seen any nasties around, and the slugs seem to have left them alone as well.  We had the first cabbage the other day, and there was not one insect on it, it was as clean as they are in Sainsburys.  In the past we've thrown away most of our brassicas, because they are stuffed full of creepy crawlies.  :(

Maybe the environmesh did the trick.

yes davyw1 straight from the book which my father used b4 giving it to me! whatever works for you?