Brassicas




I know it sounds like a really cool name for a brass band gig ! Actually Brassica is a group of edible vegetables that includes Broccoli, Kale , Cabbage , Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Swedes, Turnips, Cress, Kohlrabi, Mustard, and Bok Choi.

i have never heard of Kohlrabi (German Turnip) so if anyone has some seeds then please let them be shared around Rossendale ! 

after last weeks seed saving brassicas seem like a fitting follow up as a lot of them are flowering and going to seed at the moment so we should all be saving the seed and stashing it for next year and why not plant some of them now for your winter crop ! 

i found this amazing post with tonnes of information so much more than what i found out today from phil at offshoots. 


i was wondering as i cut these little collars for the cabbage seedlings why on earth i was doing it and i thought it was maybe to protect from slugs snails and creepy eaters. but in fact those collars around the stems cut in cardboard are to protect from cabbage root fly that i assume affects most of the brassica family. planting out brassicas also requires a little bit of thinking, the soil should be firm not loose you can use a plank to get a evenly distributed firmness throughout the soil if you just stomp around with your feet then it will just do damage!

planting brassicas requires a little bit of love and planning you need to think about how big your cabbage will grow and if its kale its going to take up less space. you plant the greenery to just below the lower leaves so quite deep in the ground not flapping around a lot it just means that then it is more stable in the soil...

if you fancy learning lots more about planting and caring for brassicas then have a look at the in depth link just above and that will probably answer all your questions !!!

brassicas are cool and brass bands love the many health benefits of this wonderful family of vegetables! vitamins, minerals and antioxidants these amazing super foods are both yummy and also protect against cancer, strokes, heart disease and even help your eye sight !!! 

good news all round i think 

Got another event planned for the weekend

As if im making bird boxes, playing giant jenga and throwing a whelly competion for work.

Scott Lancaster
Greenheart Project Assistant

Groundwork Lancashire West & Wigan

Tel: 01942 821 444
Fax: 01942 820 347

Groundwork Lancashire West & Wigan, 74- 80 Hallgate, Wigan, WN1 1HP

Hobbit House

 All these images are from the simondale website (link below) amazing. its getting me so inspired i want to build my own house out of mud !








simondale hobbit house in wales

That round house

cae mabon

Incredible Edible Rossendale

Dam permaculture

Just got back on my allotment to find that those pesky slugs and moths had turned my Brussels sprouts into lace work. Good job im living the organic sustainable way i must start practicing the companion planting now i think before i start to starve. yours  


Scott Lancaster
Greenheart Project Assistant

Groundwork Lancashire West & Wigan


Tel: 01942 821 444
Fax: 01942 820 347

Groundwork Lancashire West & Wigan, 74- 80 Hallgate, Wigan, WN1 1HP

www.groundwork.org.uk

Message From Vic !

Hi Michael, super resource, thank you for inspiring it into being, may I direct future course students to this blog perhaps we could keep in touch this way?
Just a couple of things I forgot to mention .... in response to people's questions, the Pine tree that provides pine nuts for pesto sauce etc is the Italian Stone Pine (pinus pinea), there is one at the entrance to Offshoots, perhaps in October there will be cones and we could propagate them! There is also an active can-o-worms on site - we forgot to look in! Many other questions - e.g. local LETS, we need a new group to start up in Burnley / Pennine Lancashire, a core group could arrange to meet and consider launching one perhaps, thank you again, see you soon, regards Vic

Horton Community Farm

Sarahjane sent this email about Horton community farm ... you should really have a look at the link below as it has loads of information and people are actually putting into action things we were learning about last week ! http://www.hcf.org.uk/ Link