Keep festive veg fit for the feast
Top tips to get your brassicas to the Christmas table in good shape
I’m sure that most of us have a hundred things we need to do today before the ‘big day’, but have you checked your garden or veg patch lately? If you’re planning on serving up some home-grown goodies on Christmas Day, you need to make sure that your plants are in tip-top condition.
When it comes to Christmas, I must admit that I’m a huge brassica fan, be it sprouts roasted in the oven, red cabbage braised with apple or savoy cabbage sautéed in butter; I don’t think you can go wrong. That’s why I’m making sure my plants are protected from the hungry wildlife – rabbits, deer and pigeons, mainly – that enjoy them too.
Make sure your plants are securely netted and that they’re either pegged down well, or held with bricks to stop strong winds removing covers. I also like to put up canes with strips of material tied to the top. These move in the wind, scaring the birds away. Alternatively, you can use windmills or shop-bought scarers.
While you’re at it, it’s best practice to remove any fallen leaves from around the plants as these will harbour disease and can shelter pests such as slugs and snails.
Other things to watch out for are plants that may have bolted or rotted in the winter weather; the former seems to affect cauliflowers more, while the latter is a problem on my cabbages.
When it comes to cauliflowers, it’s best to protect the white curd from the weather and sunlight, or they can discolour and look unappetising. The easiest way to do this is to break a few of the leaves off and cover the curd with them, using a large elastic band to secure them in place.
With cabbages, make sure to remove dead leaves and damaged plants. This helps produce better air circulation around your plants so they won’t stay as wet. I try to place my vegetable beds lengthways across my plot as the prevailing wind blows up the hill, meaning all my cabbages get blasted and dried by it.
No matter what you’re doing this week, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours from myself and Winston!