[oldcow]

Every single one of my spring cabbages has now bolted. Huge disappointment, since they had survived the snow in the winter and they looked really good and .
Some advice about how to avoid this next year would be welcome, but more urgently: can I eat the leaves, or will they taste bad? If they're edible, what's the best way to cook them (i.e. are they the same as the cabbage head, or tougher or tenderer)?

[azubah]

Mine have bolted too. I grew 'greyhound'.

I break off the flowers before they get big and eat the leaves. The plants often sprout from lower down so you get a second chance from them.

The young leaves taste fine.

I would like to know which variety to grow next year to avoid this problem, too.

[mumofstig]

I think it's just because of the weather, not the variety.

[oldcow]

Mine were Precoce de Louvier.
I read all sort of stuff about what could have caused it - planting them too early (was not the case for me), too much cold (mine were under the snow for a couple of weeks), draught (somehow I don't think that was the case) and fertilizing (to be fair, I did add a scoop of well rotted mixed manure around each plant a few weeks ago, thinking the nutrients in the soil might have leached out in the winter, I grow in raised beds), and finally not firming the soil (I did firm it).
I'm off to cook some cabbage leaves...

[mumofstig]

They are spring cabbages, not liking the summer heat we've just had, so they bolted.
If the weather had been cooler they would probably have grown as you wanted them to

[viettaclark]

Loads of greens are running to seed for the reason Mum gave...too hot!
It's all edible though...just try and cut as much as possible and it may regrow.
We're inundated with spinach, chard, lettuce and spring cabbage at the moment and I love it!
Must plant more spinach but I've got new plants coming up for the others as replacements.

[oldcow]

I pulled out the cabbages (I grow in a very small space in my back garden, and I have no room for "might produce more") and ate some of the leaves. Edible, but even with the help of garlic and olive oil, quite unremarkable. Still, they're fresh, free and organic, so not a complete loss.
The spinach I had planted in the autumn is growing beautifully now, and it doesn't show signs of bolting yet (I had major bolting problems with the spinach I grew last year in the spring)!

[Salmo]

Mine have bolted too. I grew 'greyhound'.

I break off the flowers before they get big and eat the leaves. The plants often sprout from lower down so you get a second chance from them.

The young leaves taste fine.

I would like to know which variety to grow next year to avoid this problem, too.

You need to select a Spring maturing variety such as April, Offenham, Wheelers Imperial. Sow early August, plant out October.

Varieties such as greyhound, primo, hispi are Summer cabbage. They will produce early, May/June, if started under glass in February. If they are Autumn planted and survive the Winter they will nearly always bolt come the Spring.