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02 Oct 17 rhonda (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Hello, I live in Nerriga near Braidwood, New South Wales and have had a failure with my cabbage and cauliflower crops. I grew them in a large igloo covered with cloth (with holes) and our temperature here goes to -7 Centigrade. My cabbages and cauliflowers grew lovely for a while then no hearts in the cabbages and no cauli in the cauliflowers. Only leaves. I gave them sea sol often and watered regularly. Not sure how much water they wanted. They did freeze a few times but went back to normal as the day progressed. Can you help for next time? Thankyou. Kind Regards, Rhonda Richards

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31 Dec 17 Kevin Anderson (Australia - temperate climate)

Hello Rhonda. I have some suggestions: (i) patience (haha), (ii) think about the varieties of cabbages and caulies that might be suitable for your area (meaning choose quick growing varieties), (iii) plan your autumn planting and growing around your first frost and your spring planting around your last frost, (iv) buy a max/min thermometer for use in the poly tunnel, and (v) think about the effectiveness of a "double skin" poly tunnel. By suggestion (iii) above, I mean try to calculate how many weeks/months into autumn and winter you would like to keep growing your brassicas. Ditto for spring plantings. Hope that this helps. Kevin Tasmania

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04 Oct 17 Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I live in a totally different climate to you. I'm having trouble growing savoy cabbage - probably planting too late and probably too rich a soil and too much water. I have savoy now, been growing for about 10 weeks or more and lots of leaves and little head. Same happened last year. The year before I had great Savoy. We have had very warm winters - in the last month temps have gone from 6-9 at night and mid 20's in the day to 14-18 at night and high 20's and even records of 34 last week in the day. I would suggest prepare your soil well - compost and fert or whatever you use and then plant the plants - don't fert again. Little plants need regular watering but when they become larger cut the watering back to each second or third day - I will have to remember to take my own advice next year.

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