Planting Brassicas
The beds in my vegetable garden are filling up quickly.
My gardeners and outdoor ground crew have been very busy in the vegetable garden. After cleaning, cultivating, and adding nutrient rich compost to all the raised beds, they started planting a number of crops. Many plants are started from seed indoors, such as the brassicas, also known as cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and cabbage. Other seeds are planted directly into the soil. Soon the entire garden will be filled with rows of wonderful produce.
Enjoy these photos.
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- In March, once the weather is warm enough to work in the beds, we start preparing them for planting.
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- This giant half-acre vegetable garden is doing so well. My gardener and I decide what plants will go where – always keeping in mind where crops were planted the preceding year. Rotating the vegetables gives various nutrients to the soil and improves soil stability by alternating between crops with deep roots and those with shallow roots. Pests are also deterred by eliminating their food source on a regular basis.
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- Look at all the beautiful beds now ready to be planted. It is very easy to plant in raised beds because of the light, fluffy, well-drained soil, which encourages vigorous plant growth.
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- Some of the first plants we get into the ground include the brassicas. Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family. Members are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. They are also sometimes called cole crops – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale – all started from seed in the greenhouse.
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- Ryan thinks through the measurements of each bed to assess how many rows of each vegetable can be planted in the space. He takes into consideration the number of plants and the size of the vegetables when mature. Ryan places as many as he can in the bed without compromising the needs of each plant.
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- This is one of our cabbage plants grown from seed. Cabbage has flat or curly, tight, or loose leaves; and comes in green, white, red, and purple colors.
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- My gardens are often photographed and videotaped for television, print, and social media – from the ground and from up above, so it is crucial that they look their best. Ryan lines up the plants so they can be planted in perfectly straight rows.
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- Josh carefully plants each one. They should be planted in holes just slightly deeper than the container depth – about half the stem should be buried. Brassicas also require exposure to full sun – at least six to eight hours per day. Lack of sunlight may produce thin, leggy plants and subpar heads.
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- For planting Josh uses a narrow trowel. it is made of stainless steel, with a five-inch by three-inch blade and a five-inch handle.
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- Josh places the plant in the hole, backfills, and then lightly tamps down on the soil around the plant.
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- Here’s the cabbage bed all planted.
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- These are Chinese cabbage plants. Here, one can see how they are planted so they all have enough room to grow. The plants are about 12 inches apart. The trick to growing brassicas is steady, uninterrupted growth. That means rich soil, plenty of water, and good fertilization.
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- Chinese cabbage takes about two months to mature. The plant produces dense, barrel-shaped heads of pale, thin, tender leaves.
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- In this bed, we planted kale. Kale grows best in full sun and likes fertile, well-draining soil to grow fast and produce tender leaves.
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- Depending on the variety, kale can have long, crinkly leaves ranging from pale green to almost black, with a nutty, earthy flavor. Curly kale has tightly ruffled, slightly bitter leaves, varying from bright green to purple-tinged.
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- Wooden markers are used to identify all the rows, so we know what varieties do best.
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- At the end of the beds, we also plant herbs. This is oregano, an herb from the mint, or Lamiaceae family, which adds a peppery bite and slight sweetness to foods.
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- We also planted a bed of broccoli. Broccoli is ready to harvest 50 to 90 days after transplanting, depending on the variety. Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables and is high in vitamin-C and fiber.
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- There’s a lot more planting to do, but it’s a great start to the planting season. Have you started planting in your vegetable garden?
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