Trevor's Kitchen Garden How I grow my own food and how you can too.

16 February 2009

The cabbage variety I grow each year is particularly well suited to a small garden. I got it first from I.S.S.A. (Irish Seed  Savers Association) in Scariff, Co. CLare. It is a perennial bush, but I don’t leave it for more than a year in one spot to prevent any diseases such as clubroot and to maximise soil fertility.

At the end of February, I pull off and plant up about 8 cuttings. A cutting is essentially a small branch pulled off the main stem. Using a sharp kitchen knife, I slice diagonally to create a wedge-shaped tip which will become the new rooting area when the cutting is planted.

I then remove any lower leaves to leave just 4 or 5 leaves at the growing point of each cutting. This helps the plant to become established and to develop a good root. The cutting is planted without delay while it is still fresh.

I fill 6-inch pots with soil from the patch where other cabbage family members (sprouts, kale, etc.) are to grow in the coming season. I plant two cuttings in each pot. Before planting out, I will remove the weaker of the new cabbage plants. Meanwhile, the new cuttings in their pots are positioned in a bright location (such as a greenhouse or a porch to develop for a month or so.