When you drive by the farm, you might notice a row or two or eight of yellow flowers towering above luscious leafy greens. I hope you enjoy this little trip through time to tell the story of why there are so many yellow flowers across our fields.

We grow brassicas throughout the year – all the crunchy, delightful plants in the kale family, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choi, brussels sprouts, turnips, mustard greens, and this year, romanesco! All these plants were wild cabbage plants, and over thousands of years, selective breeding was used to preference different parts of the plant. Wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea) grew on the limestone coastal cliffs of the Mediterranean and British islands, where the plant’s thick, waxy leaves protected against salt spray and its robust root systems held them in tight crevices in the rocks. The peoples of southern Europe observed the varying features of wild cabbage plants – some with larger leaves, some with more developed flowering buds.

Over a long time, individual plants were selected and propagated according to those features. The plants selected for large leaves became what we know as kale and collards, while cauliflower and Romanesco were initially selected for their flowering buds. Today, there are well over 300 cultivars (cultivated varieties) of Brassica oleracea. Relatively recent additions to this growing list include broccolini and broccoflower and hybridized kale-brussels sprouts.

At Red Dog, some brassicas like mustard greens and turnips are direct-seeded. But most are seeded in the propagation greenhouse, where brassica seeds germinate in 5-10 days and grow to around 5 inches before being transplanted into the ground at 6-8 weeks. The time to harvest varies greatly, as varieties are ready to harvest after a few weeks, while cabbage and Brussels sprouts may not be ready for 12 weeks or more.

After they feed us with their cruciferous, nutrient-dense deliciousness, brassicas take their cues from the weather to know when to move into their reproductive cycle. The flowering phase begins with warmer weather and longer days, although the process of bolting can happen prematurely depending on weather conditions. As the central stem of the plant grows taller, the leaves turn tougher, and the energy shifts into seed production. And finally, here is where the yellow flowers come in! Wild cabbage developed bright yellow flowers to attract pollinators of the Mediterranean, including butterflies, hoverflies, and bees.
If you want to read more about 8 main cultivar groups of brassicas, The Seed Collection is a wonderful resource to deepen your understanding. Happy crunching!

~Eddy