Keep brassica beds productive

THEY MAY NOT be glamorous but cabbages in winter can be very beautiful when rimed with frost, as well as delicious boiled with butter, salt and pepper. Sorting through them on bright days to pick off the old, yellow leaves not only keeps them looking good but also prevents rot spreading and removes hiding places for pests. One of the secrets of good vegetable growing is to give the plot this sort of constant attention and potter about for 15 minutes every morning and evening, rather than making dramatic efforts every weekend. My favourite brassica, ‘Cavolo Nero’, the black Tuscan kale, also performs as well in the kitchen as it looks in the vegetable plot this month, with its powder blue ostrich plumes.