Cabbage for tea!

Well it is certenly cold down on the allotment, I was down there this morning harvesting some ‘greens’ for my tea. 

Cabbage,kale,onions,apples and some turnips. Kind of makes it all worth well.

There is a lot of talk about the best way to grow and it what kind of bed.

As readers of this blog know, I am really into Raised Beds. The sight of raised beds topped up with rich soil just crying out for young plants in the spring.

With raised beds beds; once there done they are done. Well that is true, up to a point, there are some rules>

• Never walk on them. The whole idea is to have soft rich soil to a depth of at least two feet. My beds are just four feet wide so that I can reach over them from either side.  
• When you beds are empty, it is best to cover them with a plastic sheet and put bricks on them to stop the plastic blowing about in the wind.The reason to cover the beds is to keep the winter rains off them. You need to keep your beds dry because if they are left out to soak up water they will get heavy and “bulge” out at the sides and could well break your boarder boards.

You may wonder why I grow cabbage in the winter: I believe a good gardener has ‘greens’ from the garden all year round. Cabbage do so well ( like leeks ) that I would not be without them.

They are not the ‘boiled to death’ dinner of your school days. There are many interesting thing that you can do with them.

I steam them with carrots, chard, leeks or what ever and pour sauces over them or mix them with bits of chicken/mushrooms/paste.

Cabbage are great source of winter food, not to be with out.

Watch this space for more information about growing and using cabbage.  

                                                                 My raised beds