Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ptarmigan on August 17, 2013, 08:55
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Some of my PSB is already sprouting - planted out this year - surely that's too soon? I'm a bit confused - is it bolting? Anyone got any thoughts.
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Yes, the hot weather has made it bolt.
Eat it when it's ready, that's all you can do.
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yes, they are strange, all my four plants had flowered.
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Last year I bought a full season growing pack of PSB seeds so - had they actually survived - I would have had a summer crop ::)
Do you know what variety they are?
This pack I had literally had a variety ready to eat for each season, you had to stagger the planting obviously. I just had good germination but little surviving apart from the latest winter one which I think was 'Rudolph'
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What to do when they have bolted? I pluck off the flowers but will they continue to produce heads? I am thinking of composting the lot and use the space for lettuce and/ or pak choi. Would that be a good idea?
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What to do when they have bolted? I pluck off the flowers but will they continue to produce heads? I am thinking of composting the lot and use the space for lettuce and/ or pak choi. Would that be a good idea?
Is this the tight purple heads or are they in full yellow flower?? ???
They should keep sprouting heads that you can pick and eat?
I've never known PSB to bolt before? ???
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There are so many confusing types of PSB - some flower now as yours have, others wait until March, and presumably there are several in between as well!
There's an international conspiracy to confuse PSB with calabrese as well, so join the club! This early flowering happened to us a couple of years ago, so I understand how frustrating it is.
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Is this the tight purple heads or are they in full yellow flower?? ???
They should keep sprouting heads that you can pick and eat?
I've never known PSB to bolt before? ???
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Strangely although the packet said 'purple', they were not really purple. Parts of the stem and leaves had purple streaks, the heads were just normal colour. The flowers were yellow. I have six plants, and a couple are still producing some heads. Doesn't seem worthwhile though as I pick maybe 4 - 5 heads every three days! Must be the warm summer. By the way half of my mooli's which I sowed middle of July also bolted.
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Helpful advice thank you.
Think it must be the weather.
They are PSB Early Rudolph that I got as plants from T&M - and a couple of plants have started producing purple buds - but they don't look quite right. Too stumpy. Think I might leave to go into yellow flowers for the bees. Shame though as I love PSB - but I have other plants in that look OK though.
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Ah I've a feeling my Rudolph first grew stumpy - I picked that head of and got lots of little sprouts after, then just kept picking.
I've never had PSB ready at this time of year though - it seems very bizarre.
It was 2012 I grew the 4 season pack - 'Summer Purple', 'Rudolph', 'Red Arrow' and 'Redhead' - the first and last varieties would be available to harvest from June to October - which is now effectively when yours all seem to be ready. ???
Looking back in my diary - 2012 was a poor year for my PSB germination - all the seedlings kept wilting and dying off - so now I don't sow the amount I need, I sow loads and give the rest away!! :lol: