Brassica oleracea alboglabra
Brassica oleracea alboglabra
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Plants tolerate several degrees of frost once they are past the seedling stage[1]. They also tolerate higher summer temperatures than most members of this genus[1]. Most cultivars have been developed in the warmer parts of China and are best suited to warmer conditions, including the tropics, though some forms have been developed that are more suitable for the cooler conditions found in cool to warm temperate areas[2]. An easily grown plant[1], it succeeds in full sun in a well-drained but moisture-retentive fertile preferably alkaline soil[3, 2, 1]. Prefers a heavy soil[3]. Plants prefer a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5[2]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil[4]. There are several named forms[1]. A perennial plant, it is usually cultivated as an annual [2]. It is fairly slow-growing, but it provides a crop over a long period in the summer and autumn[1]. In a suitable climate they can crop for a period of six months[5]. Plants take about 3 months from sowing to their first harvest[2]. Yields of 2 kg per square metre of the flowering stems can be obtained[2]. Plants can be transplanted, if moved under cover in the autumn they will continue to grow slowly and provide a crop all winter[1].
Propagation
Seed - sow in succession from late spring to late summer or even early autumn in favoured areas[1]. The heaviest yields are from the mid to late summer sowings[1]. Early sowings may bolt if there is a period of cold weather[1]. Cuttings of lateral shoots root easily and can be used to produce more plants[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Brassica+oleracea+alboglabra>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Oriental Vegetables — Larkcom J. · John Murray · 1991 · ISBN 0-7195-4781-4 ↩︎Well written and very informative.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]New Vegetable Growers Handbook. — Simons. · Penguin · 1977 · ISBN 0-14-046-050-0 ↩︎A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
- [4]The Gardener's Assistant. — Thompson. B. · Blackie and Son. · 1878 · ISBN - ↩︎Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
- [5]Vegetables — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Macmillan Reference Books, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0 333 62640 0 ↩︎Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.
- [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [7]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
- [8]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.