Sow 3 or 4 seeds per pot, 5mm (¼") deep, under very bright light. Thin to the strongest plant. Space transplants 45-60cm (18-24") apart in rows 60-90cm (24-36") apart.

Cabbage is full of nutrients. To preserve its vitamins and mineral content, do not overcook cabbage. Avoid cooking in aluminum pans to keep the smell down. Cabbages are highly ornamental in the garden-choose varieties for colour (deep-red, blue-green, dark-green) and leaf texture (savoyed or flat leaf).

Diseases

Purple blotch (Alternaria porri) - Avoid wetting foliage if possible. Water early in the day so plant parts above the ground dry as quickly as possible. Allow for air circulation, and avoid crowding plants. Pull weeds around plants and garden area to increase air circulation. When plants are not wet, remove and destroy affected plant parts. In autumn rake and destroy all fallen or diseased leaves and fruit.

Clubroot - If soil infested, add lime to raise soil pH to 7.2. Locate new plants in part of garden different from previous year's location. If that is not possible, remove infested soil and replace with fresh soil. Purchase healthy transplants or start seed in sterile potting mix or fresh ground. Remove and discard or destroy entire infested plant along with immediately surrounding soil and soil clinging to roots.

Pests:

Flea Beetles - Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer. Control weeds.

Cutworms - Control weeds. Cardboard collars around each plant give good protection.

Cabbage root maggot - White maggot larvae tunnel in and feed on roots of plants. Damage causes wilting early on, death of plants later on. Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage.

Cabbageworms - Handpick and destroy. Row covers may be useful on small plantings to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer.

Cabbage aphids - A hard stream of water can be used to remove aphids from plants. Wash off with water occasionally as needed early in the day. Check for evidence of natural enemies such as gray-brown or bloated parasitized aphids and the presence of alligator-like larvae of lady beetles and lacewings.

Sow 3 or 4 seeds per pot, 5mm (¼") deep, under very bright light. Thin to the strongest plant. Space transplants 45-60cm (18-24") apart in rows 60-90cm (24-36") apart.

Cabbage is full of nutrients. To preserve its vitamins and mineral content, do not overcook cabbage. Avoid cooking in aluminum pans to keep the smell down. Cabbages are highly ornamental in the garden-choose varieties for colour (deep-red, blue-green, dark-green) and leaf texture (savoyed or flat leaf).

Cabbage heads are ready when they're firm to the touch, and when the interior is fairly dense. Heads will split when they're allowed to overly mature. Rapid growth due to excess watering and fertility will also cause splitting of the head. Plant early, midseason and late varieties to spread out your harvest. Late varieties tend to be better for storage or for making sauerkraut. Early varieties tend not to store well.

Diseases

Purple blotch (Alternaria porri) - Avoid wetting foliage if possible. Water early in the day so plant parts above the ground dry as quickly as possible. Allow for air circulation, and avoid crowding plants. Pull weeds around plants and garden area to increase air circulation. When plants are not wet, remove and destroy affected plant parts. In autumn rake and destroy all fallen or diseased leaves and fruit.

Clubroot - If soil infested, add lime to raise soil pH to 7.2. Locate new plants in part of garden different from previous year's location. If that is not possible, remove infested soil and replace with fresh soil. Purchase healthy transplants or start seed in sterile potting mix or fresh ground. Remove and discard or destroy entire infested plant along with immediately surrounding soil and soil clinging to roots.

Flea Beetles - Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer. Control weeds.

Cutworms - Control weeds. Cardboard collars around each plant give good protection.

Cabbage root maggot - White maggot larvae tunnel in and feed on roots of plants. Damage causes wilting early on, death of plants later on. Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage.

Cabbageworms - Handpick and destroy. Row covers may be useful on small plantings to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer.

An ancient oilseed crop that is experiencing a resurgence of popularity due to three major factors:

1) easy to grow and high yielding, even on marginal land. Requires little or no input of fertilizer or water to achieve a good crop. Excellent choice for dryland farming and as a rotation crop for wheat or other grains.

2) a heat stabile and deliciously edible oil that has excellent shelf life can be cold pressed from the seeds. Very high in unsaturated fatty acids, the oil is loaded with health promoting Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E. The oil is a delicious raw condiment, and is a stabile and tasty cooking oil. The seeds themselves are excellent for feeding to poultry, giving exceptional egg production. Other stock can benefit from the feed value of this seed, as well.

3) this is one of the best crops for producing biodiesel. The plant is hardy to the temperate north and gives high yields of clean burning fuel. Interestingly, there are efforts afoot to limit the distribution of Camelina seed, and producers have worked out complex multi-level contracts aimed at cornering the market and fueling corporations instead of promoting self-sufficiency. We take issue with such things.

The plant has been used by humans for at least 4,000 years (remains in Switzerland date it to the Neolithic). Making this little weedy wonder into an exclusive botanical in modern times is not moving in the direction of cooperation. We offer the seed up to the public domain, and hope that many of you will grow it experimentally, and work your clean little patches up into commercially viable fields within a few years.

Camelina gives fast turnaround and high yield per input. The photo is of our recent germ test of this seed.

This species is a bad companion plant, depressing the growth of nearby plants. It has become a noxious weed of cultivated fields in some of the areas into which it has been introduced.

The first photo is of a seedling that was direct-seeded outdoors. The new seed is extremely viable and vigorous, giving over 90% germination in 6 days.

Sow 5mm-1cm (¼-½") deep in rows spaced 45-60cm (18-24") apart, and thin to 10-15cm (4-6") apart in the row.

Summer turnips are great for salads, pickles, and stir-fries. Any place that you would use spinach or Swiss chard, you can give turnip greens a try.

Gather greens and roots from June to October. Immature seed pods are also tasty.

Remember that turnips are members of the Brassica family, so they should not be planted where other Brassicas have been grown in the past 4 years. This simple crop rotation will prevent nearly all diseases from occurring in the first place. Floating row cover will protect plants from cabbage moth and flea beetles.