Page 29 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

nearest the crown. They will then be
ready for planting in their final places.
• Gladioli are shallow rooted, and
emergence will be in about 23 days. To minimise cultivations and keep down competition from grasses and weeds make a fine false seedbed (also called the stale seedbed technique – Ed) to encourage early weeds to grow and remove by hoeing or herbicide.
• Staking or installing a netting support to stop them blowing over is advisable well before the flowers are out as they tend to be top heavy and fall over.
• Water generously after emergence, supplying the equivalent of 25mm (1”) of rainfall a week. In ‘old money’ this is the same as 1 pint of water to each plant every day.
• In the allotment plant them in a row, 10cm (4”) deep onto a bed of washed sand, 15 to 25cm (6”-10”) apart in 60cm (24”) rows. Cover with 5cm (2”) of soil. Finally earthing-up with subsequent cultivations.
Implementing a planting programme, timed at two week intervals, creating a succession of blooms for the shows
• For early shows: Establish an ‘early variety’ in light sandy soil during the 2nd week of April that is 1 month before the average First Frost Free date!
• For mid-season shows: Plant a ‘mid- season’ variety in some nice loamy
Gladiolus Crown Jewels
Gladiolus Pink Eleglance
odd one will be in its prime on show day and others would be better if left a little bit longer!
In the next edition you can join me in making the preparation of blooms for exhibition. It will be timed to describe summer feeding in more detail and illustrate the cutting and presenting the blooms for display.
•
soil on or about the 30th of April. Finally for September shows follow- up by planting during the 2nd week of May. Be prepared to irrigate generously during a dry period if a raised bed is necessary for heavier soils.
You can be certain that some blooms will be ready at the beginning of the week, an
Texsel Greens – Brassica carinata
This is a fairly new vegetable compared to many we grow and is
a relation to Ethiopian mustard from which it was bred. It is fast growing and can be ready to harvest in seven weeks and can be used as a catch crop where space is available.
The young leaves are used in salads and the older ones cooked like spinach.
It can be grown as a come and cut again crop this will take up little space and along with similar crops will give salad leaves for the summer / early autumn. The shiny leaves are reputed to have a high nutritional value (high in vitamin C) with a flavour reminiscent of spinach with a hint of garlic, the flavour and texture is better in the spring and autumn.
This crop can be seen grown in
fields as a game cover crop and for this purpose will reach up to 1.5m high if sown in June to August. This would also make a good green manure crop as it produces plenty of bulk to dig in or add to the compost heap, it was known to be hardy south of Yorkshire, but that was twenty years ago so may be hardy as far
as Scotland now especially if autumns continue to be like 2022, in fact it appears to be hardy down to -7°C according to some seed producers.
Texsel greens can also be sown as a seedling crop like mustard and cress either in containers or outdoors if broadcast sown (like sowing a lawn).
Sowing
Sow from March to September at 3 weekly intervals to give continuous cropping from May to November.
Most soils are suitable if some organic matter has been added in recent years. Interestingly good crops can be achieved even in soil infected with clubroot disease even though the plant will be infected;
as it crops so quickly it will still produce
a reasonable yield. Be aware though that growing Brassicas in infected soil will allow the clubroot disease to continue. The seeds can be sown in rows 1cm deep and 30cm apart or broadcast sown over an area and cut as required. If sown in rows sow thinly or thin out the seedlings to 2.5cm apart.
Aftercare
If dry keep watered to ensure the growth is soft otherwise it becomes tough and will need cooking to use. A moist soil also helps prevent bolting. Harvest the shoots and leaves when young and mix with other leaves for a salad.
Like all Brassicas it is prone to
the same pests and diseases which include cabbage root fly, cabbage white caterpillar, flea beetle, cabbage mealy aphid, and wood pigeons. As the crop is quick growing it is often possible to get a crop before the pest becomes a problem, the main exception is flea beetle in dry weather; try watering the plants well to reduce damage.
The main diseases are downy and powdery mildew and clubroot, ringspot and white blister can also attack the plants.
It is usually possible to get a good crop before the pests and diseases get established so worth a try.
Simply Vegetables 29