How do I prevent my rocket becoming too strong?

25
Jun
2010

How do I prevent my rocket becoming too strong?

"Hi, I had my first vegetable garden this year, but stumbled across a few issues that I hope the Accidental Smallholder could advise on. Firstly, on my salad vegetables I grew rocket, which turned out to be far too strong. What can I do differently next year? Also, my baby gems were all ready at the same time. Can I stagger the planting of these, and how late could I sow the last crop? Finally, almost everything I tried to grow worked except brasillicas (not sure of spelling!). My brocolli just didn't get past propagating and my cabbages were eaten, despite being under poly tunnels. Please could you help me with some tips?" Letitia.

H&C blogger The Accidental Smallholder Rosemary Champion replies: "Hi, Letitia. I'm not really sure what you can do about "strong" rocket. It may simply be that you're not used to the taste of really fresh rocket! When you start growing your own, often you'll find the flavours are much more pronounced because the produce is so much fresher than anything you can buy in the shops, plus you may be growing varieties that are more flavoursome that those grown commercially. Next year, maybe try another variety like "Apollo" which is less bitter than rocket.

Re the lettuce, yes you can sow successionally ie staggered. In fact it is a good idea to do this with salad leaves, to prevent a glut. If you have a greenhouse, you can continue sowing late into the autumn. We're still harvesting late sown salad leaves from our greenhouse now.

I have to confess that I'm not a brassica expert - this year has seen our best crop of cabbages to date, but our sprouts are pathetic and the cauliflower was a disaster - perhaps not what's expected from the "expert"! Brassicas need rich soil that is well consolidated. Dig or fork organic matter into the soil in winter but the soil shouldn't be disturbed close to planting. Immediately before planting out, firm the soil down gently, rake lightly and remove any debris from the surface. I've found the best way to start the brassicas is in a length of guttering - once they get to about 6" high, then I plant them out them keep them under fine mesh, to keep the caterpillars off them. Pigeons will also eat young brassica plants, so netting will be essential. Don't give up - some things work well in one year but not another.

Hope this helps! Rosemary."