Cole crops include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. They are all cool season crops that can be grown successfully in most Texas home gardens if the right varieties are planted at the right time. Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are the hardest to grow, while broccoli and cabbage are the easiest. For most gardens, broccoli is an ideal choice because it produces
quickly and each plant can be harvested several times.
Site selection
Cole crops do best in full sunlight when grown in sandy loam soils with lots of organic matter. They prefer soils with a pH of 6 to 6.5; yield will be reduced if the soil pH is below 6.
Soil preparation
Add a 3-inch layer of organic matter such as compost, leaves, or grass clip-pings to the garden soil and turn it in a few weeks before planting. This will give the leaves or grass clippings time to decompose and release nutrients into the soil before planting. Dig the soil as deep as a garden spade or shovel will reach, usually 10 to 12 inches. Turn the organic matter under the soil as soon as possible after application.Fertilizing
Have your soil tested every 3 to 4 years to determine how rich it is or what nutrients it is lacking. If you do not have your soil tested, apply about 1 to 2 pounds of a complete fertilizer (such as 10-20-10) for each 100 square feet or about 30 feet of row to be planted. Spread the fertilizer over the soil surface after the soil is dug. Then mix the fertilizer into the soil 2 to 3 inches with a rake or tiller. After fertilizing, bed the soil by pulling it into ridges 12 inches wide, 6 to 8 inches high, and 36 inches apart (center to center). This is necessary for good drainage. Creating raised beds is most important in heavier soils as they do not drain very well. Bedding the soil also mixes the fertilizer into the row where plants can reach it. Apply more fertilizer as the plants grow during the season.
Planting
Most cole crops need 18 to 24 inches between plants and 36 inches between rows. Broccoli spaced too closely will have small heads and fewer side sprouts. Cauliflower and cabbage can easily spread 2 feet if well fertilized. Space Brussels sprout plants 14 to 18 inches apart because they grow more upright. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can be grown in both spring and fall, but fall planting often is more successful because very early spring planting is often delayed
by wet or cold weather. Delayed spring planting exposes plants to too-hot weather before they mature. Variety selection is very important because early-maturing varieties usually are the most successful. because they will not mature before summer temperatures get too hot. Brussels sprouts are the most cold tolerant of the cole crops. Start with good transplants, which can be bought from a nursery or garden center. If you want to grow your own transplants, plant seeds in peat pots or similar containers about 3 to 4 weeks before the fall crop or 6 weeks before the spring crop is to be transplanted. By growing plants from seed, you will have many more varieties to select from and at the time you want them. Experienced home gardeners plant seed for the fall crop directly into the garden and thin the plants after they come up. The small plants
can be transplanted to other spots in your garden or to a neighbor’s garden. Transplant cole crops to the garden from now through mid-March. Be sure to acclimate the transplants to the cold of early spring or heat of early fall before transplanting. Broccoli and cabbage will survive temperatures as low as 25 degrees F when properly conditioned, and Brussels sprouts will survive 20 degrees F or lower if the temperature drops gradually. Set the transplant in the garden at about the same depth it was in the pot. Be sure peat pots are moist and not exposed to air after planting. If cole crops are covered too deeply, the stems will rot.
Care during the season
Keep soil moist but not soaked. Mulch with a dark-colored plastic cover or compost
in the spring or a white plastic cover, dried grass clippings, or leaves in the fall. Mulch helps reduce the need for water, controls weeds, and regulates soil temperatures. Do not hoe too deep
or too close to the plants to avoid damaging the shallow root system. About 4 weeks after transplanting, apply 1 pound of fertilizer for each 30 feet of row beside the plants. Water the fertilizer into the soil. Another application usually is needed about 4 weeks later. If nitrogen fertilizer such as ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate is used, apply 1 cup per 30 feet of
row. When the cauliflower head can be seen easily, gather the longest leaves together
over the head and tie them with a rubber band or soft twine. This is called blanching. It shades the head and prevents it from becoming yellowish green in color. Check plants often for insect damage after blanching. The head should be ready to harvest 8 to 10 days after blanching.
Harvesting
Cauliflower. Cut center heads when they are tight. Overly mature heads become open
and loose, and flowers begin to open.
Broccoli. Cut center heads when the very first flower shows the slightest yellow
color. Leave side sprouts for later harvest.
Brussels sprouts. Sprouts appear between leaves and the main stem on lower leaves
first. They must have cool weather for best quality. When the sprouts are about 1 inch in diameter and the lower leaves begin to turn yellow, cut off lower leaves and remove sprouts with your fingers or a knife. New sprouts form higher up the stem as the plant grows.
Cabbage. Harvest when the head becomes firm. This can be tested by pressing with the thumb in the center of the head.
Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts must be harvested as soon as they are ready. Delayed harvest results in tough, poor quality produce. Cabbage holds longer in the garden after maturity.
Cabbage plants left undisturbed after harvest sometimes develop small sprouts similar
to Brussels sprouts near the cut surface. This usually is not enough to justify leaving the plants, especially in small gardens.
