Cabbage Flowering?

[GoDawgs]

I have never seen a cabbage flower although I've read descriptions of how a head splits and the flower stalk emerges. Hmmm, that might be what's going on in the garden with one of those savoy cabbages. It sure looks different than any other cabbage I've grown! Something's going on here. It's supposed to happen in the second year but with all the back and forth between cold and very warm spells, the cabbage might be totally confused and has no idea how much time has passed. Has anyone ever collected cabbage seed?

[Whwoz]

Never collected cabbage seed, but have had a number split and start to run to seed, which is what that one is definitely doing @GoDawgs

[worth1]

What nasty looking thing but yet informative too.

[Bower]

That is so cool it looks like one of Whwoz's stick insects only purple!

[Whwoz]

If you left it for several weeks, you would see the flower stem come up out of that split, not sure how long it takes or how big it will get if left to flower. Looks like the spike is at the top of the split in photo

[GoDawgs]

Thank you! I plan to leave it there until it sets seed and will post photo updates as it happens for those of us who have never seen it before. I probably won't collect it as there's enough seed in the original packet to last a lifetime. But I might.

[brownrexx]

Some plants like onions which are supposed to bloom in their second year get tricked by weather swings from warm to cold and back again. They think that they have been through their first winter and start sending up blooms. I would guess that is what is happening here.

[MrBig46]

Thank you! I plan to leave it there until it sets seed and will post photo updates as it happens for those of us who have never seen it before. I probably won't collect it as there's enough seed in the original packet to last a lifetime. But I might.

I don't think cabbage is self-pollinating, so the seeds, if they wil be, will be useless (probably pollinated from some weeds of the genus Brassica).
Vladimír

[GoDawgs]

Some plants like onions which are supposed to bloom in their second year get tricked by weather swings from warm to cold and back again. They think that they have been through their first winter and start sending up blooms. I would guess that is what is happening here.

Right you are. I never have any problem collecting seed in the spring from fall planted scallions and have some ready to bloom right now. Every once in a great while a carrot will get fooled into flowering.That's also the reason I can't store any fall planted bulbing onions I grow. They always start bolting maybe late April and bolted onions won't store so we use them fresh.

[GoDawgs]

I don't think cabbage is self-pollinating, so the seeds, if they will be, will be useless (probably pollinated from some weeds of the genus Brassica).
Vladimír

I just looked it up and you're right. However, it also said this:

"If you’re planting in an open garden and growing any other members of the Brassica family, it might be surprising what your seeds develop into. Since the plants can be cross-pollinated with broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc. But they might be interesting in flavor!"

http://blog.growjoy.com/2020/10/02/how- ... make-seed/

Hmmm... There are blooming broccoli plants in the same bed. I've left them there for the bees which are loving them. So I'm going to let them all go as long as possible and hopefully the broccoli will cross with the cabbage. That would be until mid April at earliest when I'll need that bed for planting beans. More likely end of April, weather depending. Should be interesting!