So Excited - I've got cauli's!!

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Maryann

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So Excited - I've got cauli's!!
« on: July 09, 2011, 13:04 »
I must apologise to all you seasoned veggie growers who will be raising your eyes with good reason I know but I am so excited as just seen my first ever cauliflowers growing away beautifully in my litttle raised bed at bottom of the garden. I followed the wonderful "Ice" ladyee's example for covering my veggie patch and constructed 2 domes from blue pipe and covered them with wondermesh and it seems to be working very well as my caulis are perfectly formed and a lovely creamy white.............so far  :)

In this same patch I have a row of broccoli and a row of cabbage (alongside my row of cauli's) and we have been eating the broccoli for a couple of weeks now - the only trouble is so is something else  :mad: I haven't found out what it could be yet and am now panicking it might attack my lovely cauliflowers  :ohmy:
It seems to graze on the head of the broccoli not the leaves and sort of razors its way across the top.

So 2 questions please..........Any clues as to what is stripping my broccili and what should I do with my cauli's - do you cover up the heads with the leaves to protect them or not? They are all forming at same time and only 2 of us to eat them so need to stagger the picking as much as we can.

Thanks for any help  :happy:
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AndyRVTR

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Re: So Excited - I've got cauli's!!
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2011, 17:11 »
Hi Maryann... well done you  :D :D
I'm not sure about the problem with your broccoli, but as for cauli's, bending the leaves to cover the crown helps it stop going yellow...  :)

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Maryann

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Re: So Excited - I've got cauli's!!
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2011, 17:51 »
Thanks Andy
I'm still grinning like a Cheshire cat because we have tried to grow them in the past and they have always been a disaster. I must try and get a photo of them. I'll be sure to cover them up as dont want them to go yellow.
I think it must be a caterpillar eating the heads of the broccoli - I did find and dispose of one big fat green caterpillar a few weeks ago but there must be more in there. The strange thing is that the leaves are mostly intact and everything looks so clean under the netting. However - if one got in then there must be others  :mad:
The one I found was huge - great big fat green thing....yuk.

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sunshineband

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Re: So Excited - I've got cauli's!!
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2011, 18:18 »
Caulis are brilliant -- well done you  :D

As to the broccoli damage it is either

caterpillars that are hiding in amonst the head (which you can get out by soaking in salty water before cooking them)

or slugs/snails hiding in the heads. They usually leave a slimy bit as a calling card/clue, and checking them out by torchlight means you can just pick them off.


Detective work  :D
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mumofstig

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Re: So Excited - I've got cauli's!!
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2011, 19:13 »
but don't leave them too long before picking or they will bolt.
Better to have frozen caulis than bolted ones ;)


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