Time Here for the Cole Crops

We’ve come to appreciate the plants in this family more than ever before. Chief among them are cabbage and broccoli, with cauliflower and Brussels sprouts gaining all the while.

The first two (cabbage and broccoli) are comparatively easy to grow. Cauliflower is more challenging, and Brussels sprouts even more so. Most of the issues with the last two come in the fact that they take longer to reach maturity.

General guidelines…
• Full sun. All of them do best in full sun. Cabbage can tolerate a few hours (2 or 3) of afternoon shade.
• Highly organic planting soil, preferably in raised beds to ensure good drainage.
• Start with vigorous potted transplants of recommended varieties.
• Plant 3-5 weeks ahead of the average date of the last killing freeze for your area. That means now for most of Texas and a week or two from now in far North Texas.
• Keep plants growing actively by feeding with a high-nitrogen fertilizer every 3 or 4 weeks.

• Watch for cabbage loopers. They’re the mortal enemies of cole crops. You’ll first see white butterflies, then soon thereafter there will be holes in the leaves. The larvae are green, looping caterpillars that feed voraciously. Spray or dust with the organic control Bacillus thuringiensis, or simply “B.t.” It is the only control that will work.

 

Broccoli…
• Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
• Harvest when heads have grown almost to full size, but do not allow florets to start opening.
• Most varieties will produce secondary heads in the axils of the leaves. These will make a very good second harvest.

 

Brussels sprouts…
• Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
• When you see sprouts beginning to form in the axils of the leaves, remove leaves from the bottom halves of the plants and pinch out the growing tips to force water and nutrients into the sprouts.
• Harvest when the sprouts are about 1 inch in diameter, but before they begin to open.

Tip: Try a few transplants the first year to see how you get along. They are much slower to mature than cabbage and broccoli. That adds to the chances of failure.

 

Cabbage…
• Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
• Some varieties of cabbage are actually quite attractive. Don’t be afraid to grow a few plants in your floral display garden.
• Harvest when heads reach about two-thirds their full, mature size as described on the plant label. Leave them too long and the heads are likely to split or bleach due to sunlight.

 

Cauliflower…
• Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 36 to 40 inches apart.
• As heads begin to develop, tie upper leaves up over the heads to blanch them. That will prevent the heads from turning green. (There’s actually nothing wrong with green cauliflower, but the white heads are generally preferred.)
• Cut the heads when they are 5 or 6 inches in diameter.

If you’d like to see what Texas A&M has to say about growing the cole crops, here is their fact sheet.