Garden Work

It's always a delight to be able to pick food from the garden in spring, ahead of the abundant months of summer

It's always a delight to be able to pick food from the garden in spring, ahead of the abundant months of summer. Spring cabbage seems to take forever to mature, but in fact, it's about 36 weeks, or less if you live in a mild area. Sow it now, in modules or trays, for planting out as young plants in a few weeks, or sow it directly into a fertile, loamy soil. I prefer the former method, as lines of young seedlings can be demolished overnight by slugs and snails.

Most types can be eaten as leafy "greens", so you can harvest some plants in early spring for this purpose while leaving others to mature and form heads. The varieties "Pixie" and "April" are suitable for smaller gardens. Because cabbages are prone to various pests and diseases, don't grow them in the same bed from year to year. In a four year crop rotation, they should come after peas and beans. The latter plants fix nitrogen in the soil, which is beneficial to brassicas - the tribe which includes cabbages, cauliflower, kale and broccoli.