Saving Tree Cabbage Seeds: Part 1

A few years ago I bought 'Paul & Becky's Asturian Tree Cabbage' seeds from The Real Seed Catalogue. These fantastic little seeds cost me £2.99 but have provided me with cabbage for the past 3 years (and I still have seeds left). The great thing about these plants is that they are perennials (I managed to keep one going for 2 years) and they have provided me with cabbage virtually all year round. I made the beginners mistake of trying to start them off in the greenhouse, which they didn't like at all - it was too hot and they withered and died; but after that initial blip I've had no problems with them, in fact, they've been one of the easiest plants I've grown on my plot and have become a firm favourite.

This year, I decided to have a go at saving my own tree cabbage seeds. As with all 'Real Seeds' products, they 'Tree Cabbage' came with it's own seed-saving instructions, which basically said to let the plant flower and allow the seed pods to dry on the plant before picking. I followed the instructions but was confused when the flowers formed on the plant and dropped off leaving nothing but a thin stem behind. I scoured the internet but could find little to guide me so decided to wait and see what happened, half resigning myself to the fact that I'd done something wrong and missed my chance to collect seeds. However, a week or so later I noticed that the remaining thin stem had started to fill out and had turned into a seed pod, amazing! You can see the stems and the seed pods on the close up picture below...

I'm intrigued to see how much bigger these tiny pods will grow. The next steps are to let them dry on the stem before cutting them and removing the seeds, I'll post 'Part 2' when that happens.

How time flies when the sun shines...

...Well almost, in my head it's been sunny, despite the frequent downpours we've been experiencing recently. Since getting back from my hols (we had a fab time!) I've been outside most weekends planting seeds and getting the veg patches ready for the summer. Over the past few weeks I've planted courgette, patty-pan and winter squash, as well as some pots of new, experimental greens - 'Buckshorn Plantain', sorrel and land cress. I'm hoping that they'll make a nice change from the cut and come again lettuce that I plant each year; although I still have a tub of that on standby, just in-case.

I've given in and weeded the no-dig raised beds as they were being overtaken by wild grasses and dandelions. I've used the space to plant onions, carrots, root parsley and leaf beet. There's no sign of growth yet but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled over the next few weeks. However, the dwarf peas, broad beans and mangetout are growing well, so the plan is to harden them off this week and plant them out next weekend.

It doesn't feel like summer yet with all the dull weather we're having and things seem pretty slow in the garden. Hopefully the sun will come out to play soon and all my tiny seeds and seedlings will have a growth spurt. However, one thing that is thriving at the moment is the rhubarb - it's huge! It must be the combination of the rain and all the lovely fertilizer that results from it being planted close to the chicken run. I've taken two huge 'cuttings' from it already and used them to make this numerous portions of this rather delicious rhubarb and ginger crumble and there's plenty more growing, yum!