On 24/01/2012 08:44, harry wrote:
On Jan 23, 11:16 pm, Rob wrote:
This topic, according to my wife, came up on Gardener's Question time
this weekend.

I know what I ought to do - that is to make sure they are in firm soil
to avoid the blown sprouts I have this year. Great plants but
'beautiful?' rosettes all the way up the stems.

The reason is that this garden (been here over 30 years) has club
root. It was OK in the days before the EU destroyed all the useful
chemicals for the garden and we got acceptable sprouts.

I struggled for a year or so after the effective chemical was
withdrawn, and then found a solution that works for the brassicas, and
produces fine sprout plants, but not the sprouts themselves.

At planting, plants grown in 2" sectional trays are planted into a cup
shaped hole that has been filled with JI2 straight from the bag. This
defeats the club root, but obviously creates a non-compact soil for
the plant to grow in.

Can someone suggest how I can overcome this without stamping down
around the young plants and transmitting the organism back into the
plants ?

Thanks
Rob


You can try staking them. It is wind rock that buggers them up. It
breaks the roots. You need strong stake.
Mine have been a feast for the mice, just a few at the top, the rest
partly chewed. The netting kept the pigeons off but gave the mice free
range!

--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire