Cabbages: 2nd Round of Planting

I planted my 2nd round of Cabbages this Spring. Eight of the lovely Cabbages went into 1 of the Raised Beds that Richard created last Spring. Those Beds are lush with Soil and Compost, plus they are ready and easy to work. I can imagine the Cabbages are making themselves right at home.

And the varieties? Now that is an interesting question. Four were Danish Ballheads ("ball shape"). The remaining 4 are 2 Premium Late Flat Dutch ("Flat") and 2 Henderson Charleston Wakefields ("pointed" or "peak").

I chuckle because as intent as I was with identifying the varieties of Cabbages I was giving away, I did not mark clearly those 2 varieties I intended to keep. We Humans are wonderful exercises in imperfection. I shall know relatively soon, because their shapes and their sizes will be different. The 2 in question range from 10-15 pounds for the Premium Late Flat Dutch to 4-6 pounds for the Henderson Charleston Wakefields.

Yesterday was a Leaf Day and Richard and Melanie were doing back-up so that I could get the Cabbages into the Ground. Teamwork is great. It seems like Farm Life makes Teamwork essential. In the photo above, Melanie has gone to the Garage to pick up the plastic Gallon Jugs. The Chickens decided that she was the lead float in a Parade. They are inherently curious about whatever the Humans are doing.

I put plastic Gallon Jugs (with bottoms removed) over them for protection. Hollis and Deleta and the Crawford Clan over in Millard go through a lot of these. We have a few of our own, but Hollis gave me some too. I chuckle because the Old Timers knew that everything had a use. They were reluctant to let things go to waste.

Those Jugs will protect the little Seedlings from the Sun, Cold Temps, Wind, and Heavy Rain until they get acclimated to their new Digs. I will take them off in a couple of days. I will start by taking them off during the Day Time and later removing them at night. As always, I will keep my Antenna up. Should I need to, I will alter the plan so that it is in their best benefit. To do otherwise is to put the New Little Plants under undue Stress and to potentially lose the Crop. Now that would not be a good idea. Plus, it would not be a consistent practice for someone who chooses to treat all of Life as a Sacred Gift.
Admittedly, I don't really like to use Plastic. We minimize its use here on the Farm. We'll talk more about it later.

In the meantime, those Little Cabbages are snuggling into the Garden. I feel like a Mother who has just sent her Kids off on a Little Adventure for the 1st time. They'll be O.K. I'll be O.K.