Pest Control

As a rule, fungicides and insecticides are essential for controlling certain diseases and insect pests on cole crops. For some diseases other precautions are desirable, such as use of disease-free seed or transplants and resistant varieties.

Insect pests tend to be localized but flea beetles, aphids and cabbage worms are common over the country. Flea beetles are most damaging on plants to wilt prematurely during hot weather, also must be controlled at planting time.

To produce high quality cabbage the gardener must control weeds, insects, and diseases.

young plants, so control for these comes early. Cabbage maggots which feed on the roots, causing Aphids and worms usually cause trouble later in the season. Slugs or snails are a bothersome pest in many areas.

Most fungicides are non-toxic to humans and animals, and there are a number of fairly safe insecticides that give reasonable control of insect pests.

Cole crops generally are biennials or have similar tendencies. What this means is the plants can be induced to initiate seed-stalks and flowers by exposure to cool temperatures over a period of several days. If that occurs early in the growing season, the crops may fail to produce a usable product.

The threshold temperatures appear to be in the range of 50 to 55 F, and the plants increase in sensitivity to the cold as they increase in size and age. Thus in areas with mild winters, plants set out too late in the fall or too early in the spring may go to seed prematurely. In the case of broccoli and cauliflower, crops where the developing flower stalk is the edible product, the result is a very small curd or head. The use of slow-bolting varieties coupled with proper planting dates will avoid these problems, unless the early part of the growing Season is cooler than normal.

Varieties

Hybrid varieties (F₁) are available for cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Usually they are more uniform in plant size, maturity ind size of head than standard varieties and often the total yield is greater. The uniformity of maturity may not be an advantage for the home gardener, except when the crop is grown primarily for processing.

Varieties differ in many characteristics including color, days to maturity, uniformity, yields, ease of bolting, product size, length of time the product remains usable, and resistance to diseases and disorders. Generally there are not as great differences in flavor or eating quality as among varieties of other vegetables. And most varieties in this grouping are rather widely adapted, the exceptions being the winter types of cauliflower ind late varieties of broccoli which ire limited to areas of mild winters.

Broccoli The green buds and flower stems are the edible portion. The center shoot is large, ranging from 5 to 10 inches or more across depending on the variety, growing conditions and other factors. It should be harvested before the buds begin to separate or start to show yellow color. The heads remain in edible condition fairly long in cool weather, but pass prime maturity very quickly when it is hot. After the center head is cut, smaller side shoots develop which an extend the harvest season up to a month or more.

Center head of broccoli with side shoots Shoots can prolong harvest season month or more after head is cut.

Broccoli is of best quality if consumed soon after harvest, though it will keep a few days under high humidity and low temperatures (near 32 F).

Spartan Early, Coastal, Italian Green Sprouting, Early One and DeCicco are among the fast growing standard varieties that are suitable for the Central and Eastern portions of the United States. Waltham 29 is a popular late one. Medium strains of Green Sprouting, Topper and Pacifica are popular on the West Coast. Early hybrids (F₁) include Green Comet, Gem, Bravo and Premium Crop. From 50 to 85 days are required from transplanting to harvest, or 65 to 110 days when seeded in the garden. Late summer and early spring plantings require more time than plantings in periods of longer days and higher temperatures.