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anaemic cabbages

Hi, I am 100% organic and use all my own compost, plus lime for my raised cabbage bed and a little fish blood and bone as allowable nutrients. One row in particular - a pointy cabbage is very pale, whitish and looks anaemic and is quite tasteless. My kale, sprouts and cole slaw cabbage in the same bed seem fine.                                  I have seaweed liquid feed and wondered if I should use that?                                             I grow my cabbages in Halo pots for support and slug protection - but use mains water for watering (not v organic I know) Any suggestions please?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    It's probably down to variety.  Which cabbage are you growing?


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Lewis TLewis T Posts: 31

    Hi, My single row of Elisa F1 Hybrid ball type cabbage suitable for                          cole slaw are fine, the ones with the pointed whitish mottled leaves                           are Pyramid F1 Hybrid from Thompson and Morgan. Should I feed                           them with Seaweed liquid feed as it's the only liquid feed I buy?

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    Not a cabbage I know, but from pictures online only the outside leaves are dark, the central heart is pale, like a Greyhound cabbage ....... can you post a picture for us to have a look at please?


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Lewis TLewis T Posts: 31

    image

     

    image

    Best I can do. On the single cabbage it is easier to see the paler mottled inner leaves. I did remove the outer leaves yesterday to stop them acting as a bridge for the slugs but they were not dark as shown on the internet. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    Those look perfectly healthy to me - I'd be very proud of myself if I'd grown cabbages like that image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800

    I've never grown cabbages Lewis but they do look fine to me too.  I must say I'm well impressed with your veg patch and the growing rings, it puts mine to shame.

    I might try growing some spring cabbage and use those rings, do they work 100% in stopping slugs image

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    My OH is the Fruit & Veg Manager for a local farm shop - he says he'd be very pleased to receive a consignment of your cabbages image

    Quote:  "Those are very nice cabbages."

    Take a bow image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    Lewis they look fine to me. I think sometimes we look at our veg too much and worry about them, I've been doing that with my chard, I haven't grown it before so each morning I'm out inspecting image 

  • Lewis TLewis T Posts: 31

    Well thank you everyone, I am reassured. Kev I've grown chard for the first time this year in another part of the garden and it looks like rhubarb.I will have to look up the web to see how to cook it. I have to admit my veg garden is a bit like a hospital, as I am so keen to keep my husband and I as healthy as possible by eating only organic produce. I try not to use chemicals at all - even dishwashing liquid - if the adverts say it strips grease off plates - what is it doing to our skin? My butterfly net cage 6 x 4feet (courtesy of Two Wests) are reasonable and brilliant for keeping the white butterfly out. I sew the narrow ends on with fishing gut and use tent pegs to pin the sides down and I move them every year. As for the Green halos, Orchid  Lady I have built up 2 dozen, enough for one raised bed. The slugs can't manage to crawl over the sharp edges. After planting out my cabbages I find topping the halos with my own compost helps to stop the cabbages from rocking. They have lasted about five years so far and I've only chipped one base. One more tip - I'm told that if you rake the ground with a copper tool (Implementations) the slugs are not attracted to the fresh soil. I use little copper rings for my peas and large ones for my lettuces. I had my w iron man cut my granddaughter's old copper tank into several 3" bands and plant carrots and beetroot in them. 

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