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Cornucopia - Australia

Basic Brassica Questions

20 years ago

Two questions:

1. What are good multi-heading varieties of brocolli for Melbourne? It seems such a waste to grow single-headed varieties.

2. What do you do with kohlrabi? I bought some seeds because I read that it was a good summer alternative to brocolli because it does attract the White Cabbage Butterfly. When I saw the picture on theseed packet I saw the big bulb - what do you do with it?

Many thanks for any answers. Regards, Puck

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Comments (3)

The_Grub
20 years ago
Hi Puck,
I have more kohlrabi that I ever envisaged. We like it boiled as a vegetable. Tried grating it with salads but it smells and goes limp. It is really excellent pickled in sweetened vinegar, with carrots and onions, garlic and touch of chilli, cloves, black pcs, etc. I have read here that fritters taste wonderful. Haven't tried that yet.

The late-season ones that I'm yet to harvest have a few grubs eating their leaves. I'm supposing they are from the white cabbage moths fluttering about. But that doesn't seem to matter as you eat the bulb. The leaves are pretty bland. The chooks, or what's left of them, like the leaves.

Must harvest the bulb when it's no bigger than about the diameter of a can. Tends to woodiness otherwise. I've got about 5kg at least in the fridge, where it stores well, and twice that amount in the ground. Aphids are emerging as a problem on some bulbs, infestations of them oozing cabbage fumes from their fetid bodies. But they can't get into the bulb.

If I could grow cauli I would above all else.
Puck
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks Grub,

From your reply it sounds as though it is treated pretty much like cabbage - although probably quicker to grow and does much better in warm weather. Good point about the aphids because they are another thing that knocks around brocolli. I agree with you about cauliflower - I would grow it more but my limited experience suggests that it takes too long. Maybe I should try again. My main reason for looking for summer alternatives to brocolli is that the kids eat brocolli so well - now I'll try them on kohlrabi.

Regards, Puck
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lomatia
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Puck, I think there was a variety of broc called Premium Crop that does well over the summer in Melbourne. Marathon has a lot of sideshoots. Eden Seeds have a few resprouters on their list. The Green Dragon seedlings at nurseries are generic. I think they select a variety for the time of the year.
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