perennial cabbage

I was once told by a gardener that there was a perpetual cabbage plant like leaf beet spinach.
I have never heard of it before. Does anyone here know what it might be?

 

I`ve never heard of it lapod, perpetual spinach but not cabbage.

 

What about perpetual broccoli, just bought some seeds from T&M.

 

The perennial broccoli (it actually stays poductive for 3/4 years at the most) could provide you with greens in the spring - the plants get pretty large but needs to be sown in the previous summer.

 

Not heard of oerpetual cabbage but have grown walking stick cabbage. This lasts for the full season and you just keep picking the leaves as the season progresses. You end up with a woody stem up to 12 feet tall which you make the walking stick out of.

 

I've never come across perpetual cabbage, I dont think.
I do remember years ago we used to cut a cross in the top of the cut cabbage stem which may, or may not have promoted the roots to grow more "greens", after a few months.

 

Evening folk.

JohnBinks is correct ... without me delving into my books at the moment there is a "walking stick cabbage" and "we" here on GC have had a discussion about this before.

However JB, it lives longer than one year here ... because it is perpetual. The famous Algarvian Caldo Verde soup (green cabbage soup) is made from this giant. I could almost live on this soup it is so yummy. You just pick leaves off as and when you need them ... absolute wonderful creatures and in our climate live for years and years.

 

Having slept on it, I woke up this morning thinking of Couve-galega, as one would. :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couve

I also know it as Collard Greens and/or Kale from Alabama.

As you can see, it's a biennial in cooler climates and a perennial (or perpetual as we were saying ) in climates such as mine.

 

Thanks LoL, I was talking to someone a while back and said I remember growing a type of cabbage called "Collards".
They looked at me as if I was stupid.
Not sure if you can still get them here.

I've grown the "walking stick" cabbage before.
My seed was given to me by someone who had bought it in Jersey. Apparently it was always sold to the tourists there.

 

Evening, pete. If you want to try it again, you know I'd be happy to send a pack of seeds to you. I know you have limited capacity, but the offer is there. They do take our limited frost here and grow to 5-6 foot easily.

The soup (Caldo Verde) is really to die for ... first fell in love with it in the early/mid 80s. Of course, if you don't like greens, then it's not. :D

My dear aunt always used to say ... "It's nice if you like that sort of thing." Bless her.

 

Not really looking to try it again LoL, just thought it might be relavent, thanks.

 

Chap I knew 20 odd years ago in Gloucestershire (probably spelt that wrong) grew an impressive perennial hedge of his own cabbage/kale, which he bred by crossing together various kinds: red cabbage, 'perennial' cauliflower, kale, etc. He kept it in shape by cutting like an ordinary hedge, and eating the trimmings.

Different kinds of brassicas respond differently to the stimulus which makes them flower. So, if they are crossed, some may be so mixed up that they never flower - that is, they stay vegetative, and 'perennial', assuming that they can survive frosts, etc.

Main problem was a constant reservoir of white fly etc which would migrate out of his hedge onto any other brassicas he grew.

 

Just come cross this interesting post. I was given a few seedlings of perennial cabbages this spring by my sister in law for me to try out. Here is the picture how they look now. They are about 80cm tall. Never grew them before, dont know how to eat them but they look really good in winter.