Cool things cabbages do and...

F1 San Michele X Red Rock Mammoth Cross. Plant reheading second year.

Where the heck have I been?

Well you see, first my camera broke and then there was this drought and that put a damper on my gardening glory then there was the fact that I am in my last weeks of pregnancy. Baby expected next week by the way so that's what's been keeping me from filling you in on the plant fun.

If you must know, the recent rains reinvigorated everything :D though the forest is still looking sad. Some bushes that I thought had bit the dust have resprouted leaves and I have some late fruit appearing on the weary pumpkins. If frost holds off until October, they'll be lots of pumpkin pie come winter. The weeds which couldn't germinate because of the lack of rain are taunting me now as I lug my large belly around the garden. You are not  supposed to do much digging in dirt if you are in the family way because of various pathogens.

But I suppose what you really want to know is about the cabbage. This is the F1 Red Rock Mammoth and San Michele cross. All its brothers and sisters from last year were either winter killed or demolished by a destructive plague of flea beetles followed by their earwig accomplices. One made it. Not enough to produce F2 seeds but I figured I'd spare it and see what it did.

And look what it did! That is a huge head on a second year cabbage that had already headed last year. I'm impressed. I am growing out some more F1s from this year which are also rehearing after being partly defoliated by aforementioned earwigs. They'll stay in the ground over winter hopefully producing the much wanted flower and seedpods next year.

P.S. Earwigs have been brought under control by a troop of guinea fowl, ducks and loose laying hens added to our acreage this year.