If you’re looking for a late season harvest, check out these really cool veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

They’re cool, not only because they’re healthy and delicious, but because they don’t mind the cold. You can start them early in the season when the nights are still a bit chilly, or a little later for a fall harvest.

Broccoli comes most readily to mind as one of the most prolific producers in cool weather. In fact, if I were stranded on a deserted island and had a choice of only two or three veggies to live on, this would be one of them. I might get sick of eating broccoli, but I’d never run out of it!

Some varieties of broccoli can be sown in the early spring for an early harvest. One variety, Broccoli Raab, or broccolini, is an Italian variety that can be planted in early spring. It will thrive in the cool spring weather and produce an early crop. The variety I plant every year is “Green Goliath.” I’m usually in no hurry to get this one in the ground, nor to harvest it later on, because it can take a severe frost in the fall.

Brussels sprouts seem to be a vegetable that is going out of favor with people, or perhaps it never was a favorite. Yet, it really is delicious boiled up and smothered with a cheese sauce. I always enjoy going out in the garden on a cool, sunny day in the fall with a sharp knife in my hand and slicing off the “little cabbages.” Brussels sprouts can be started much like broccoli. However, it requires good, rich soil and is a little heavier feeder than broccoli. Amend the soil with good, rich compost or well-rotted manure. Fertilize with a side dressing of 12-12-12 or Miracle Grow a couple of times during the season. Organic gardeners can use fish emulsions and other natural products. It will be late in the season before you see the sprouts forming along the plant stem. The lower leaves can be sliced away to allow a little more light and air movement.

Mark Twain called cauliflower “cabbage with a college education.” Cauliflower is not only a sophisticated vegetable, but a real treat on the dinner table. Unless you purchase a specific late season variety, plant this one early. It sets a head much better (and bigger) in cool weather.

About late June, keep an eye on your cauliflower plants. From deep inside the developing leaves will appear a pure white floret. When you see this, take the leaves and loosely tie them up around the top of the plant. This will effectively blanch the cauliflower and keep it from yellowing. Choose “Snow Crown Hybrid” for a late fall harvest.

Cabbage is grown much like the other cole crops. Heads can split in hot weather or if allowed to over-ripen. Also, cabbage doesn’t store well and sometimes it’s hard to eat it all up, though it makes great sauerkraut. For a late season harvest, consider “Storage #4” from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

All of the cole crops mentioned above need some elbow room, so plant them up to 18 inches apart. Good air circulation will discourage slugs. And they can all be started the same way: either direct-seeded in the ground or inside in peat pots or small containers. Plant cole crops outside on an overcast day to avoid sunscald. Or, lightly cover the plants for a few days with some straw or newspaper.

Cabbage worms and cabbage loopers are a real draw with the cole crops, especially cabbage and broccoli. Dipel dust contains Bt, a biological control preferred by organic gardeners. It is very effective at controlling worm-type critters and it’s nontoxic to humans. It comes in powder form and should be applied per the label recommendations. Broccoli can also be soaked in cold water with a little salt added; the loopers will float to the top instead of ending up on the dinner table!

Sources for the above-mentioned vegetables:
Henry Fields, 513-354-1494

Gurneys

Johnny’s Select Seeds