Brassica crops are essential plants to have in your garden, especially if you live in cooler climates, since they can withstand cold temperatures and even frosts. But to achieve a successful garden, you need to know the variety of brassicas you want and how to grow these Cole crops. Below we answer those questions and so much more.
For good reasons, many home gardeners decide to grow brassica plants in their vegetable garden. But to understand why you want to plant them, you need to know what brassica vegetables are. Vegetables in the brassica family are cabbage plants and crops from the mustard family. These crops include a wide variety of vegetables and leafy greens.
These crops do best in cool weather and don’t thrive in high heat, but you can sow them in late summer, making them perfect fall veggies for your garden or cold climate areas. One reason so many gardeners grow different brassica species besides them being able to withstand cold weather, is how expensive they are in the grocery store.
Why would you pay the high price at the store when you can grow them in your backyard for a way lower price? Another reason brassicas are popular to raise is that they make a great healthy side dish for any meal.
Brassicas Vegetables
Today we will go over the brassica vegetables you can grow in your garden. The list of brassicas is quite long, but to make things easier, we selected the most popular ones that are the easiest to grow, even if you’re a beginner gardener. Let’s get to it!
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are one of the more popular brassica vegetables to grow, not just because they help support a healthy diet. Brussel sprouts can also survive in freezing weather, so you don’t have to worry about them during the winter or if your climate is typically cooler. They also make great companion plants for beets, carrots, celery, and onions.
One thing you do have to look out for when growing this brassica oleracea plant are pests such as cutworms. But there is no need to worry. You can easily prevent them by wrapping the stem in tinfoil.
USDA hardiness zone: 3-10
Sun Needs: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Fertile Loam Soil
Color Varieties: Green and Purple
Type: Biennials
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Red Cabbage
Red Cabbage is a common cabbage that comes in red varieties. It’s also full of health benefits, such as having essential vitamins for healthy bones and is a great source of fiber. Besides having tons of health benefits, there are many other reasons you would want to grow this veggie in your garden.
One is that it can be grown with many herbs like chives, dill, and sage, to name a few. And let’s not forget the beautiful color it adds to every garden and meal. This Cabbage needs a lot of sunlight but can’t handle a lot of heat, so be sure to keep that in mind when picking the right spot to plant it.
They also love water 1 to 5 inches of water a week, to be exact, so that you’re not constantly in the garden watering, you can set up an irrigation watering system.
USDA hardiness zone: 3-9
Sun Needs: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Nutrient-rich soil
Color Varieties: Red
Type: Annual
Bok Choy
Bok choy is a well-known Chinese vegetable packed with vitamins C and K—making this a great choice to add to any meal. This vegetable thrives in moist soil but not overly wet. You don’t want to drown your plant. When planting Bok Choy, you want to wait until the last frost passes.
The last frost will differ depending on where you live. This vegetable can grow sufficiently with many crops such as beets, bush beans, potatoes, and many more. Because they have so many companion plants, it’s easy to incorporate Bok Choy in your garden.
USDA hardiness zone: 2-11
Sun Needs: Partial Shade
Soil Needs: Rich Soil
Color Varieties: Green
Type: Annual, Biennial
Green Cabbage
Green Cabbage is a cool-season crop and a part of the brassica family. When growing this crop, you need to remember that they love full sun, but during the hotter months, they need partial shade. This regular Cabbage has many health benefits, just like red Cabbage, but one use many people don’t know is Cabbage is good for skin health and heart disease.
Green Cabbage also needs plenty of water to grow but be sure your soil is well draining so you don’t end up with soggy soil. Like the other Brassica plants, we’ve mentioned, green Cabbage can be planted with other plants such as beans, buckwheat, celery, and onions.
USDA hardiness zone: 1-10
Sun Needs: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Moist Fertile Soil
Color Varieties: Green
Type: Annual
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Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are leafy brassicas and a part of the mustard family. These crops are the perfect plant for beginners since they’re so easy to grow. These greens are also excellent plants to grow in garden beds and containers. Just remember they need to be planted a foot apart from each other.
Before you grow this leafy green, you must ensure the weather is cool enough since these plants must be planted in the cool seasons. This should be around late spring or early fall. Remember when deciding how many you want to plant that you have the space to accommodate them.
USDA hardiness zone: 6-11
Sun Needs: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Fertile Well Draining Soil
Color Varieties: Green, Purple
Type: Annual
Napa Cabbage
Napa cabbage is a popular Chinese cabbage that can be cooked in various ways. Besides being used in many dishes, it’s full of vitamin C. It’s also great for your immune system.
This Cabbage is extremely easy to grow, making it perfect for newbie gardeners. And if you don’t get much sun, that’s ok. You can still plant this crop since it does well in either full sun or partial shade.
But before you plant them, make sure you have a bed or container big enough for them to thrive. A foot is a good size to fit two of these plants.
USDA hardiness zone: 4-7
Sun Needs: Partial to Full Sun
Soil Needs: Fertile Well Drained Soil
Color Varieties: Yellow-Green, Purple
Type: Annual
Broccoli
Broccoli plants, best when grown next to tomatoes, are one of the most common vegetables to grow in your garden. They even come in purple varieties. What many don’t know about growing broccoli is that you can eat it when it is only five days old. Even at this early stage, they are packed with nutrition. At this stage they’re called broccoli sprouts.
The best time to plant broccoli is in late summer. This way, it can grow in the fall. You want it to grow during this time because broccoli needs to be in a much cooler climate.
Another thing to note is when growing this veggie is you need to be careful when watering. You don’t want to pour the water over the head. This increases the risk of disease. You want to water the broccoli stalks at the base of the plant.
USDA hardiness zones: 2-11
Sun Needs: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Fertile Well drained Soil
Color Varieties: Green, Purple
Type: Annual, Perennial
FAQ: Brassicas
- What are Brassica crops?
Answer: What are Brassica crops? Vegetables in the brassica family are cabbage plants and crops from the mustard family. These crops include a wide variety of vegetables and leafy greens, including Broccoli, Cabbage, Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Curly Kale, and Turnips.
- Is Spinach a Brassica vegetable?
Answer: Is Spinach a Brassica vegetable? No, Spinach is not a part of the Brassica family. However, Spinach is a part of the Amaranthaceae family.
- Are Brassicas the same as cruciferous vegetables?
Answer: Are Brassicas the same as cruciferous vegetables? Yes, Brassicas are a type of plant in the mustard family. These vegetables are also known as cruciferous vegetables.
- Are Carrots cruciferous?
Answer: Are Carrots cruciferous? No, Carrots are not a part of the cruciferous family. However, they are in the Daucus family along with Daucus glochidiatus and Wild carrot.
- Is green beans a cruciferous vegetable?
Answer: Is green beans a cruciferous vegetable? No, Green Beans are not in the cruciferous family. However, they are in the legume family.
- What vegetables are not Brassicas?
Answer: What vegetables are not Brassicas? Non-Brassicas vegetables include Spinach, Parsley, Lettuce, Celery, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Cilantro.
- Can I plant Carrots next to brassicas?
Answer: Can I plant Carrots next to brassicas? Yes, Carrots make great companion plants for Brassicas. This is because the carrots loosen the soil for them.
- What can you not plant with Brassicas?
Answer: What can you not plant with Brassicas? You can not plant Tomatoes, Strawberries, Peppers, Nightshade, Pumpkins, Grapes, Asparigase, and Radishes.
- What is best to plant after brassicas?
Answer: What is best to plant after brassicas? Plants in the Brassicas family are known to be heavy feeders that’s why its best to plant Legumes which replenish the soil after Brassicas crops. You can also plant potatoes after Brassicas since potatoes like loose soil, and Brassicas break up the soil.
- Can I plant all my Brassicas together?
Answer: Can I plant all my Brassicas together? Yes, you can grow all your Brassicas together since they are in the same family. They need similar growing conditions. But be sure to feed your soil properly since most Brassicas crops are heavy feeders. The last thing you want is your plants competing with one another.
There you have it those are the top brassicas crops you can grow in your garden. Did we miss any? If so let us know in the comments. Happy gardening!
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