I recently planted a "fodder radish", from Bountiful Gardens. I don't know what cultivar it is, exactly. It's supposed to overwinter and be deep-rooted to help loosen soil. I plan to sample it for eating.

I've tried canola . . . that was an okay green.

Don't know if canola, a cultivar of rape, was in any of these mixes, tho'.

Steve

Several cultivars of fodder rape are typical in such mixes. I suspect that canola is more "seedy" whild fodder rapes are more "vegetative". The New Zealand seed producers grow plots of many varieties and see which ones the deer prefer. Typically, on the first few days the deer sample several plots. Then entire plots completely disapear in order of preference.Here is a link to one brand of several deer and wildlife mixes

Here is a link that might be useful: Bio Logic

I didn't know they had a deer problem in NZ.

Here is a link to a PDF file (aprox 1 MB) from British Seed House for forage Brassica & chicory. Its parent company, Germinal Holdings, has the intellectual property rights for several of the forage Brassicas that were developed by former governmental (now privatized) breeding programs in the UK. On page 8 of this pdf file is a classic photo of a cow eating some brassica (there are lots of photos of cows eating brassica in this pdf, but this is the ultimate).

Here is a link that might be useful: BSH forage brocure

Tyfon is a forage brassica, a cross of chinese cabbage with forage turnip, available from Nichols Garden Nursery. I grew this 7 (or so) years ago; I don't remember much but it was OK. Several similar forage brassicas are 1 to 2 generations ahead of Tyfon in yield, disease resistance, ability to sustain several grazings (ie., a kitchen knife?). These will be mentioned below.

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> I didn't know they had a deer problem in NZ.

Deer is domesticated in NZ for meat and antler export.

Cooper Seed offers several forage Brassicas by the pound. The following link is to individual cultivars; you may navigate to look at mixed products.

Some things that interest me:

Seven Top Turnip (B. rapa)
-- a classic garden plus forage leaf turnip, small root

Purple Top Turnip (B. rapa)
-- is freshly grown that much better than the supermarket?

Oasis Forage Chicory
-- possibly the most advanced forage chicory?

Appin Forage Turnip (B. rapa)
-- a new generation of forage leaf turnip

Pasja Hybrid Forage Turnip (B. rapa)
-- a new generation of forage leaf turnip
-- possibly similar in concept to Tyfon

Winton Sweed (B. napus)
-- a new generation of rutabega with good disease resistance?

Dwarf Siberian Kale (B. napus)
-- a classic, I'm not that much interested

Maris Kestrel Kale (B. oleraceae)
-- a smaller marrow stem; Im very interested, only in 10 lb bags from Cooper seeds

Barkant Turnip (B. rapa)
-- leaf plus big root, only avail 10 lb from Cooper

Choice Chicory
-- only avail 10 lb from Cooper Seeds

Here is a link that might be useful: Forage From Cooper Seed

Welter Seed & Honey offers several forage brassicas by the pound; no web based ordering but lots of info.

Also available from Cooper, but all avail here by the pound:

Appin Turnip (leaf), Barkant Turnip (leaf plus big root), Pasja Hybrid Turnip (leaf), and Oasis Chicory.

Some exotic forage cultivars, that are not available from Cooper Seed:

Bonar forage rape (B. napus?)

Barnapoli forage rape (B. napus?)

Puna forage chicory
-- a first generation forage chicory; not too interested unless it really tastes good

Some older standbys:

Dwarf Essex Rape (B. napus), Purple Top Turnip (leaf plus root) and Tyfon (B. rapa).

Maxi Rack offers seed of several cultivars of Brassica & a Chicory mix by the pound; online ordering available.

Hunter Turnip (Turnip crossed with oriental??? B. rapa)
-- similar in concept to Tyfon, leaves more lobed than Tyfon (my recollection of Tyfon was a non-lobed paddle like leaf), look at the picture in the link...leaves are larger than any turnip I have ever seen, either that, or they have a little kid in the photo...LOL

Rival Turnip (leaf plus roots)
-- roots look larger than supermarket purple top; if huge tankard roots remain non-pithy and as mild as classical purple top, I am interested.

Winfred forage rape
-- newly synthesized B. napus??
--(most B. napus has old origin)
-- Bred by Joordens Zaden, NL

Graza forage radish
-- I have elsewhere seen this described as a forage Brassica

Chicory mix -- Grouse + Puna

Lancelot fodder plantain
-- I am interested in this if forage plantain is no more bitter than "erba stella" plantain; several other plantains are nasty bitter.

Several classic cultivars available elsewhere are also found here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maxi-Rack

I would like to know if any of those you've listed have partial or total resistance to imported cabbage moth?

It will take a while to check. As far as I know, none of these are GMO with foreign Bt DNA.

I know that some of the forage brassicas are tolerant to some aphids that attack Brassicas (they may get aphids, but growth isn't stunted). Many of them seem to have strong resistance to club root.

"deer shows", huh? Bizarre. Unfortunately it's all to easy to see deer in most parts of the country.

I guess your comment about bt means it isn't possible for any brassica to be resistant to the imported moth. I tend to agree.

> ...it isn't possible for any brassica to be resistant to the imported moth

I'm not convinced about that yet.

What may be easier would be to find a decoy cultivar that smells so good to white moths that they go after the decoy and leave the good stuff alone. Here is a link to Advanta (also a producer or wholesaler of some forage brassicas) where they describe a trap brassica for flea beetles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Advanta's Trap Crop