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I Give Up!

Auntie EAuntie E Posts: 39
in Fruit & veg
I garden in the south west and for the last couple of years due, I suspect, to climate change, my purple sprouting broccoli plants have been devastated by the gales.  I have staked them with three canes each, but the wind just shreads the string and the leaves, and blows them flat.  I love early broccoli, but this year have only had just two broccoli sprouts.  Do I give up, or does someone here know of a dwarf spring broccoli that  can withstand the weather.  I have trawled through seed catalogues, but found nothing.Help!

Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    My veg garden is in a very windy site up in the Pennines,  but a dry stone wall on one side and windbreak netting on the other allows them to crop. Can't gloat though, the rabbits approve and have moved in!
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I have attempted Purple Sprouting Broccoli ( West Somerset ) - raised beds under a large cloche ).  They rarely get tall enough to be affected by any wind - the slugs see to that !
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We did them once! We waited 18 months before we got any return and what it was ....not worth it. The plants all became very leggy and had to be supported. So now we go for veg that are "dwarf" even though we did BS again and they did the same thing as PSB. But we did get some sprouts for Christmas.
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    As per above, build a windbreak. That aside you need stronger stakes and stronger ties, it's not difficult.
    One of the best ties I ever came across was car seatbelt, cheap from a local scrap yard, FBMP etc.
    When you've seen Swedes blown out of the ground then you know you've had extreme winds  :D
  • diggersjodiggersjo Posts: 172

    Where we lived previously they had serious problems with strong winds off icy mountains. Their solution was to plant everything in 20-30cm holes and build up the soil as they grew. Not too sure how well it would work with PSB, but worth a try (perhaps along with other suggestions). Never give up...


    Yorkshire, ex Italy and North East coast. Growing too old for it!
  • Auntie EAuntie E Posts: 39
    Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  Have decided not to give up, so it's going to be deep planting holes, building up the soil around the plants, stronger ties and stakes, I do have a walled garden, so might re-position the plants next year.  At least we got rid of the visiting rabbit this year (humanely!)  and happily our slug population is kept down by late night patrols, by me and our hedgehog population.  A non gardening friend suggested I buy broccoli from the supermarket, he just doesn't understand, so I will battle with the elements and hope next spring my efforts will be rewarded.  
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