A question for Brussel Sprout growers

[Devil's advocate]

Only half netted. Might start netting beetroot though bcause of bother with leaf miner.

It's not too bad, only issue is when wind gets it and winds it up like a stick of rock.

Yes when laying in wind, I lay bags of small stones out & lay a piece of net get some weight on & just keep moving down the row. At the moment unwinding cores off a bale spike which can go well, but sometimes snags, I getting better at it.

 

[Kidds]

How are others finding the aftermath of drought?

It was so dry here that some of my apple trees turned completely yellow and lost all their leaves.
I thought that was the end of them until next year. The drought broke here shortly after those couple of extremely hot days and we had a week of rain, not vast amounts but useful rain every day for a week. Much to my surprise the trees that had lost all of their leaves have grown new ones and anything that had lost any amount of leaf is regrowing now. This looks good and is encouraging on the face of it but I strongly suspect this is next years blossom that is growing, some trees are flowering.
Obviously they went dormant from the drought and have come back to life as if it is spring. We will see but I don't expect mush blossom on those trees next year.
Other than that everything has completely burst back in to life, it is astonishing just how much everything has recovered. I posted a pic on here of my trees at their worst with the grass alleyways looking completely dead, I have been mowing those alleyways over the last few days.

May be drop retail & reduce area & do a good job of some swedes & sprouts on the stem wholesale. Its the retail that is so time consuming & not easy nowadays lots of compertition.

Retail prices are always much nicer than wholesale prices but I appreciate the labour costs involved with running a farm shop. Probably even worse these days when everybody is paying by card.

 

[Devil's advocate]

It was so dry here that some of my apple trees turned completely yellow and lost all their leaves.
I thought that was the end of them until next year. The drought broke here shortly after those couple of extremely hot days and we had a week of rain, not vast amounts but useful rain every day for a week. Much to my surprise the trees that had lost all of their leaves have grown new ones and anything that had lost any amount of leaf is regrowing now. This looks good and is encouraging on the face of it but I strongly suspect this is next years blossom that is growing, some trees are flowering.
Obviously they went dormant from the drought and have come back to life as if it is spring. We will see but I don't expect mush blossom on those trees next year.
Other than that everything has completely burst back in to life, it is astonishing just how much everything has recovered. I posted a pic on here of my trees at their worst with the grass alleyways looking completely dead, I have been mowing those alleyways over the last few days.


Retail prices are always much nicer than wholesale prices but I appreciate the labour costs involved with running a farm shop. Probably even worse these days when everybody is paying by card.

We've had quite a few items with higher returns from wholesale. Also items we buy having to sell some at a loss.

Small retailers won't try to understand prices need to rise (some do) Some retail customers grumbling too.

My grass is stuck & its been quite wet.

Its a very unusual year, worse than 2018 for some crops.

 

[Muddyroads]

Yes when laying in wind, I lay bags of small stones out & lay a piece of net get some weight on & just keep moving down the row. At the moment unwinding cores off a bale spike which can go well, but sometimes snags, I getting better at it.

To unwind mine I put a scaffold bar through the core, a lifting strop each side onto another bar on pallet tines on the front loader, then drive forward, either with it on the floor or just above. Gravel bags on corners and electric fence stakes down the lengths.

 

[Stuart J]

To unwind mine I put a scaffold bar through the core, a lifting strop each side onto another bar on pallet tines on the front loader, then drive forward, either with it on the floor or just above. Gravel bags on corners and electric fence stakes down the lengths.

You want some of these. Great things.

Ancillaries - Crop Solutions

Our Crop Cover Pegs, Ground Cover Pegs and Sandbags are designed for heavy duty use in all applications. Our pegs and sandbags will last 8-10 years.

www.cropsolutions.co.uk

The blue pegs that is.

 

[Muddyroads]

You want some of these. Great things.

Ancillaries - Crop Solutions

Our Crop Cover Pegs, Ground Cover Pegs and Sandbags are designed for heavy duty use in all applications. Our pegs and sandbags will last 8-10 years.

www.cropsolutions.co.uk

The blue pegs that is.

Better than gravel bags!

 

[Devil's advocate]

Better than gravel bags!

I prefer bags but have pegs. Plough in for swedes, but that is too messy for leaf brassica.

Drones would be handy to spray over nets in the early stages ie early post em treatment. Something like Sheild or Letagram.

 

[Chrismc530]

Drought badly effecting sprout height this year compared to last . At 6ft4 I’m not looking forward to pulling them . Salsa was the only spray worth using on red shank when it was on the market . Gamet is ok if you get them very small when the plants young . Famosa Savoys and all cauliflower types don’t take to it well , but the yellow ness eventually comes out of them

 

[Chrismc530]

I wouldn't dare do Wing-P after planting as it did result in blind plants and thickened leaves on brassicas.

Some growers applying 2 L/ha Stomp Aqua on within 24 hours of transplanting brassicas to help with Redshank control, and that's after 2.5 L/ha Wing-P being applied before planting brassicas

We apply stomp aqua between rotavating and bedforming . Sultan50SC applied during the first rain after planting . With leeks and brassicas in the same field you can tell how much of a difference using stomp aqua has on weed control in brassicas compared to not using in leeks

 

[Devil's advocate]

It was so dry here that some of my apple trees turned completely yellow and lost all their leaves.
I thought that was the end of them until next year. The drought broke here shortly after those couple of extremely hot days and we had a week of rain, not vast amounts but useful rain every day for a week. Much to my surprise the trees that had lost all of their leaves have grown new ones and anything that had lost any amount of leaf is regrowing now. This looks good and is encouraging on the face of it but I strongly suspect this is next years blossom that is growing, some trees are flowering.
Obviously they went dormant from the drought and have come back to life as if it is spring. We will see but I don't expect mush blossom on those trees next year.
Other than that everything has completely burst back in to life, it is astonishing just how much everything has recovered. I posted a pic on here of my trees at their worst with the grass alleyways looking completely dead, I have been mowing those alleyways over the last few days.


Retail prices are always much nicer than wholesale prices but I appreciate the labour costs involved with running a farm shop. Probably even worse these days when everybody is paying by card.

Dave, Bramley £26 a box.

 

[Kidds]

Dave, Bramley £26 a box.

I asked a veg shop owner £25 this week and he sent them back because he can get them for £18 in Liverpool market.
He best get the rest of his stuff from Liverpool too then because he has having feck all else off me. I can cope with them saying they are too dear but sending back is not on, I went to a lot of trouble to get them picked and packed for him.
Other customers have 4 times as many and don't bat an eyelid at the price.
Having said that, prices have come down a bit more this week.

 

[Devil's advocate]

I asked a veg shop owner £25 this week and he sent them back because he can get them for £18 in Liverpool market.
He best get the rest of his stuff from Liverpool too then because he has having feck all else off me. I can cope with them saying they are too dear but sending back is not on, I went to a lot of trouble to get them picked and packed for him.
Other customers have 4 times as many and don't bat an eyelid at the price.
Having said that, prices have come down a bit more this week.

Sorry price has fallen.

I payed £16 in Sheffield

All apples are cheap now, be different in the new year.

Anything imported is expensive in other fruit.

 

[david]

That's the problem with the fruit and veg industry, it's just a constant race to the bottom with prices.

Energy, fuel, iPhones, 60 inch plasma TV's, tattoos, lip fillers and Botox all command a price which is paid.

Fruit and veg is traded for buttons.

 

[Kidds]

That's the problem with the fruit and veg industry, it's just a constant race to the bottom with prices.

Energy, fuel, iPhones, 60 inch plasma TV's, tattoos, lip fillers and Botox all command a price which is paid.

Fruit and veg is traded for buttons.

I have adapted the same policy as the above, my stuff has a price and if you don't like the price, feel it is too high or whatever reason that's fine but the price isn't changing.
Rightly or wrongly I will not haggle on anything, same when buying I ask the price and either say yes or no simple as that. I can't go into the supermarket, Currys, Vodafone etc and start haggling so it's the same with my stuff.
I 100% stand by my produce and if there is a complaint of any sort I will put it right but that is a different thing.

 

[david]

Good man Kidd's, wish everyone else would do the same.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Bramley still sliding massive fruit today but only £15 per box.

Seems a boost to brassica, wholesale selling price is £1.50 per head for caulie & broccoli £15 per box (4.5kg).

Off cutting caulie at first light, wrong year to get clubroot, at least 6 years since last crop which was not infected, ph a bit low but gave it a massive dose of calcifert.

I've two theories too dry for the calcifert to work or neighbours field above grew three crops of sheep turnips & clubroot has come down in flood water. Possibly a combination.

Maybe the dry soil is showing up the clubroot worse that it really is, anyway should turn a profit. Just a shame to lose a good field from the rotation.

 

[Chrismc530]

Bramley still sliding massive fruit today but only £15 per box.

Seems a boost to brassica, wholesale selling price is £1.50 per head for caulie & broccoli £15 per box (4.5kg).

Off cutting caulie at first light, wrong year to get clubroot, at least 6 years since last crop which was not infected, ph a bit low but gave it a massive dose of calcifert.

I've two theories too dry for the calcifert to work or neighbours field above grew three crops of sheep turnips & clubroot has come down in flood water. Possibly a combination.

Maybe the dry soil is showing up the clubroot worse that it really is, anyway should turn a profit. Just a shame to lose a good field from the rotation.

Definitely money to be made at them prices, is that direct to consumer ? Getting £15 for 9kg broc , and £6 for caulis x8 to wholesalers . Less than £5 for caulis to supermarkets. Too many men in NI racing to the bottom to get the price increases needed, hopefully they won’t be in the job much longer.

I agree Dry conditions is your problem . Clubroot is the bestest treat to the future of this job

 

[Devil's advocate]

Definitely money to be made at them prices, is that direct to consumer ? Getting £15 for 9kg broc , and £6 for caulis x8 to wholesalers . Less than £5 for caulis to supermarkets. Too many men in NI racing to the bottom to get the price increases needed, hopefully they won’t be in the job much longer.

I agree Dry conditions is your problem . Clubroot is the bestest treat to the future of this job

Those prices were what wholesalers are charging, extremely volatile of course.

Clubroot rarely a serious problem here, but I do see odd bits most years, This year bit of a perfect storm, ph too low, calciprill not worked, huge stress on crop it looks much better now we've had rain. A lot of gentic variation in terms of how badly affected the crops are. Only 8 acre of brassica on 220 acre, shall have to grow on the slightly less perfect land. 100 ton of calcium lime been spread this week.

So to sum up won't lose money but very ordinary year despite good prices.

 

[Stuart J]

Hows everyone's sprouts fairing in this mild autumn/winter.

My small area are all mature, hoping they hold well enough for another 5 weeks!

 

[david]

There are all maturing much to quick Stuart. Got problems with them breaking down, and no shelf life in the shops.

Really could do with it cooling down a bit now otherwise all the over-wintering late sprouts, cabbage and kale is knackered.