Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.
Needs lots of water, guzzling up at least 1 to 2 inches per week. Keep an eye on plants and water every few days, or when the top of the soil begins to look dried out. Water until the soil is moist but not waterlogged.
You can also spray plants with compost tea, comfrey tea, or a balanced organic liquid fertilizer. Spray whenever you notice yellowing leaves, which are a sign of nitrogen deficiency. You can also choose to apply liquid feed regularly every few weeks, which will give plants an extra boost of nitrogen, helping your crop to grow larger and more resilient.
An ideal soil would be made up of 45% minerals (sand, clay, silt), 5 % organic (plant and animal) material, 25% air and 25% water. The mineral portion would be loam (20 – 30% clay, 30 – 50% silt and 30 – 50% sand).
Cabbage prefers cooler growing temperatures, between 55-75°F (13-24°C), optimum being 60-70°F (16-21°C), but will produce good crops under warmer, summer conditions. FALL CROP: Use midseason and storage varieties. Start seedlings as above in May and transplant to the garden in June-July.
