Hi,
I have grown cauliflower for the first time and followed the instructions on the seed packet. I have started cutting a couple of them which are about 5 inches in diameter, however, I notice that a couple of them have florets which are separating and beginning to 'push up' rather than keeping the nice tight ball I expected. Any ideas where I went wrong.

Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I would much appreciate help.

I don't think you've done anything wrong with your caulis. The white bit is a compact cluster of flower buds, so left to themselves the individual flower stems will elongate and start the process of developing into flowers.

Broad beans - black bits sound like insect damage - have you got black fly on them? And I wonder what sort of rainfall you've had recently - could the soil have been a it dry?

Lintama wrote in news:Lintama.88b2656
@gardenbanter.co.uk:


Hi,
I have grown cauliflower for the first time and followed the
instructions on the seed packet. I have started cutting a couple of them
which are about 5 inches in diameter, however, I notice that a couple of
them have florets which are separating and beginning to 'push up' rather
than keeping the nice tight ball I expected. Any ideas where I went
wrong.

Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the
bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered
with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I would much appreciate help.





Your cauliflower might be bolting, but my main guess is that you didn't
plant them firmly enough. Apparently all bressicas (except swede) need to
be heeled in to get solid hearts or curds.
During my first year at veg. gardening I had the same problem, and also my
cabbages and brussels sprouts were soft and spongy. Planting them very
firmly indeed has sorted out that problem.
Your broad bean problem sounds like blackfly infestation and soapy water
spray should sort it out. When broad bean pods start to grow they do have
black around them, I think it is the dead flower so it might just be that
and is normal and the pods may grow.

Hope this helps
Baz

[quote=kay;929454]I don't think you've done anything wrong with your caulis. The white bit is a compact cluster of flower buds, so left to themselves the individual flower stems will elongate and start the process of developing into flowers.

Hi Kay,

Yes, I would guess they are doing that but the heads aren't very big. I was expecting larger flower heads. Also they had developed the heads faster than I thought. I was looking for ages and then suddenly white heads were there. Perhaps I need to try a different variety next year. It is my first time, so I am fairly pleased as I am sure it could have been worse.

Re my broad beans, there have been quite a few black fly especially on one of the stems and at the top which ants were happily harvesting them (I think). I sprayed the worst plant a little as I don't like used bug sprayer. I try to be organic but sometimes certain pests get out of control.

I live in Suffolk and we had no rain for a long time so I was watering the plants nearly every day. I know caulis need a lot so I gave them what they wanted. The beans looked a little wilted at one point but I quickly gave them a lot of water and they seemed OK.

How can I prevent these tiny shrivelled up broad beans next year? Is it a case of never letting the ground get dry? I had some in a raised bed and some in large tubs as I ran out of ground.

Many thanks for your help.

Baz wrote:
Apparently all bressicas (except swede) need to

.... swede is a brassica? A type of turnip, surely!

In message ,
writes
Baz wrote:
Apparently all bressicas (except swede) need to

... swede is a brassica? A type of turnip, surely!

Both swedes and turnips are Brassicas. Turnip is Brassica rapa var.
rapa. Swede is Brassica napus var. rapifera. (Kohlrabi is Brassica
oleracea Gongylodes Group.)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On Thu, 7 Jul 2011 07:04:19 +0000, Lintama
wrote:


Hi,
I have grown cauliflower for the first time and followed the
instructions on the seed packet. I have started cutting a couple of them
which are about 5 inches in diameter, however, I notice that a couple of
them have florets which are separating and beginning to 'push up' rather
than keeping the nice tight ball I expected. Any ideas where I went
wrong.


Pick it and eat it still.

The main problem with them is planting them firmly enough I think...


Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the
bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered
with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I would much appreciate help.
--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

[quote=Lintama;929461] Did you pick off the tops of the plants? It's the tender bit that the blackfly are attracted to, so nipping out the tops can help. If you do it before you have a heavy infestation, the tops are edible.

Your beans are possibly a bit late - could you try sowing them earlier? Or try one of the varieties that you sow in autumn?

How good is your soil? Does it have much humus? Anything you add in that way will help water retention.

It's not a problem I have, since I'm on clay in the north, and we haven't had a summer since 2006.

The tubs and raised beds ones are going to be more of a challenge, and yes, make sure the soil in the tubs stay moist. With beans in the ground the hope is they'll get their roots down, so it doesn't matter if the top couple of inches gets dry. That's also the reason for watering copiously and less frequently, rather than giving a little every day. It is quite instructive to dig your finger into the soil after watering - you think you've given a really good watering, then you find that the top half inch is wet and you have a layer of dust under that.

And an after thought is to target your watering - don't worry about watering the broad beans until the flowers are out. You need to worry about water once the beans are forming, and runner beans are less inclined to set seed if they're too dry, so broad beans may be the same, which is why I'm suggesting beginning to keep an eye on water levels from the time they flower.

In message ,
Janet writes
In article ,
says...

Baz wrote:
Apparently all bressicas (except swede) need to

... swede is a brassica? A type of turnip, surely!

turnips are brassicas. So is mustard.

Only some of the culinary mustards (Brassica nigra, Brassica juncea) are
Brassicas, others aren't (Sinapis alba), at least by conventional
taxonomy.

(And there's garlic, hedge, hoary and treacle mustards, inter alia, to
muddy the pot.)

Janet.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

[quote=kay;929462] I have taken off the top three inches or so but it's a case of shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. I didn't know about the black fly liking the top young growth.
Is it possible to get a second crop of broad beans if I cut them down to about a foot high? I think I read it somewhere that it could be done.
I started the beans off in 3 inch plant pots back in early April so will do it earlier next year.

The soil, I think, is fine. Being a raised bed I added home grown compost and gave them some Miracle Grow a while back. Only did this about twice though. Same with the caulis. We have a mixed type of soil here. Some of the garden has a lot of clay and not much else and other parts and free of it. I did a PH test a few years back and the soil is alkaline.

Thanks again for the tips.

Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the
bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered
with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I have the same problem with my broad beans. The lowest row of flowers set
seed and we have beans filling out nicely. The second row have hardly any
beans on, and above that the little shivelled pods as described.
There is not a blackfy on the entire row, and I have no idea what I could
have done to encourage better polination. I assume that was what caused the
problem.

Any advice for next year, please?


Alan

"Alan (BigAl)" wrote in message
...
Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the
bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered
with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I have the same problem with my broad beans. The lowest row of flowers set
seed and we have beans filling out nicely. The second row have hardly any
beans on, and above that the little shivelled pods as described.
There is not a blackfy on the entire row, and I have no idea what I could
have done to encourage better polination. I assume that was what caused
the problem.

Any advice for next year, please?


Alan
Water!!
Copius every day. When in flower, feed. I have more broad beans that I know
what to do with !
Pete C
SE LOndon

"Pete C" wrote in message
...

"Alan (BigAl)" wrote in message
...
Also my broad beans plants have produced lovely bean pods near the
bottom of the stems but the ones further up are tiny and have withered
with black on them. I had this problem last year too.

I have the same problem with my broad beans. The lowest row of flowers
set seed and we have beans filling out nicely. The second row have hardly
any beans on, and above that the little shivelled pods as described.
There is not a blackfy on the entire row, and I have no idea what I could
have done to encourage better polination. I assume that was what caused
the problem.

Any advice for next year, please?


Alan
Water!!
Copius every day. When in flower, feed. I have more broad beans that I
know what to do with !
Pete C

Pete C

Did you get fixed up?

Best wishes

Mike


--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................




SE LOndon

[quote=Lintama;929464] In theory it should work. I find they give a second crop of flowers, though when I've left them, it hasn't been enough beans to justify the growing space.

Any time from February is more usual. "As soon as the soil warms up". In Yorkshire I would expect to have mine in the ground in March. Water is far less of a problem early in the year.