Brukale

[Sasha Bushell]

Hi everyone,

I have started some brukale seeds which are currently growing nicely in the garden, however i am wondering if anyone has had any experience with these and if so do you have any tips for a successful crop and what do they taste like?

 

[Mark]

I'm growing some at the moment mine are about 40cm high and nearly starting to form but I haven't had an produce yet - I'll post some pics tomorrow if I remember.

 

[Sasha Bushell]

Mine a just wee little seedlings, would love to see how yours are going

 

[Mark]

Here's my brukale I would say they are very close to producing...

 

[OskarDoLittle]

pardon my ignorance...never heard of brukale! sounds like a cross breed of broccoli and kale?!!

 

[OskarDoLittle]

BTW Mark your other brassicas look great. How do you keep the cabbage moth off? Mine became so badly infested the plants were largely unproductive. I'm still waiting for my mustard to set seed so I can make my own, but ever time the flowers seem to look like starting, the caterpillars decimate them. I'm trying not to use cabbage powder - but nothing else seems to work.

 

[Mark]

How do you keep the cabbage moth off?

I rarely use anything but I do know that good soil prep and a mid term feed helps keep the bugs away.

The theory is bad bugs such as cabbage moth don't usually attack healthy plants. But plants that are struggling - even slightly, coming towards the end of season, grown at the wrong time, or smothered with love ie too much fertiliser will usually be the first hit.

Most of the time my pest attacks can be handled by picking them off by hand.

My soil prep for brassicas is usually a good helping of chicken or horse manure several weeks before planting and then I do use a commercial liquid seaweed feed about every 3-4 weeks or my own weak duck juice tea from our internal raised duck pond. Brassicas do like nitrogen but it's always better to under fertilise than over imho...

If was to narrow down the 3 best tips for growing brassicas it would be: plant at the right time for your area/micro climate, soil prep, and liquid feed every 3-4 weeks.

Brukale is a cross between kale and Brussel sprouts

 

[Sasha Bushell]

Here's my brukale I would say they are very close to producing...
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Omg mark! Id be too tempted to start pulling leaves, im wondering if they will be any good for kale chips... i love kale chips! ( probably too much as i eat 2 big bunches of kale per week, 8 full trays in the dehydrator)

Thanks for the pictures, gives me a good idea about how they grow

 

[Mark]

im wondering if they will be any good for kale chips...

Mmmmm, kale chips...

 

[OskarDoLittle]

I rarely use anything but I do know that good soil prep and a mid term feed helps keep the bugs away.

The theory is bad bugs such as cabbage moth don't usually attack healthy plants. But plants that are struggling - even slightly, coming towards the end of season, grown at the wrong time, or smothered with love ie too much fertiliser will usually be the first hit.

Most of the time my pest attacks can be handled by picking them off by hand.

My soil prep for brassicas is usually a good helping of chicken or horse manure several weeks before planting and then I do use a commercial liquid seaweed feed about every 3-4 weeks or my own weak duck juice tea from our internal raised duck pond. Brassicas do like nitrogen but it's always better to under fertilise than over imho...

If was to narrow down the 3 best tips for growing brassicas it would be: plant at the right time for your area/micro climate, soil prep, and liquid feed every 3-4 weeks.

Brukale is a cross between kale and Brussel sprouts

Maybe I'm over-loving them...they're in the new garden beds which were filled with "allegedly" premium veggie growing soil...also supplemented with cow manure compost and lucerne. Watered with worm tea occasionally. Got a few broccoli and cauliflowers, then the caterpillars hit...I thought the plants looked pretty healthy till then!
The worst of the damage seems to occur at the apical buds, where they should flower, literally hundreds of tiny caterpillars hatch and I can usually only tell they've hit because all the buds get eaten off! (Maybe it's not cabbage moth?) anyway I won't clog up sasha's post any further! Sorry Sasha!

 

[Mark]

Got a few broccoli and cauliflowers, then the caterpillars hit...I thought the plants looked pretty healthy till then!
The worst of the damage seems to occur at the apical buds, where they should flower, literally hundreds of tiny caterpillars hatch and I can usually only tell they've hit because all the buds get eaten off! (Maybe it's not cabbage moth?) anyway I won't clog up sasha's post any further!

Ok, let's start a new thread then and chat about it more there... http://www.selfsufficientculture.com/threads/how-to-keep-cabbage-moth-of-vegetables.1037/

 

[Sasha Bushell]

So as my brukale is growing, i have about half that have a pinkish purple stem, and the other half are green.. now wondering if they will be different or if somehow there was other seeds in the pack aswell. :/ the leaves are slightly different for both of them

 

[Mark]

It's possibly just a natural variation but yes it could be a stray seed from a throwback variety - no matter it should still be good

 

[Sasha Bushell]

How are your growing at the moment? Have they got the little 'kale buds' as of yet?

 

[Mark]

Yes they are budding but no major formation of the vegetable as yet. The plants are quite big!

 

[Ash]

Florid growth Mark!
Love the vibrant healthy colour to the leaves.

 

[Mark]

Florid growth Mark!
Love the vibrant healthy colour to the leaves.

Cheers Ash! Still nothing forming on the plants though... I'm starting to get worried