Main Crop
Kale
Always a good option giving large yields of winter hardy forage that is palatable to both sheep and cattle. It will benefit from a long growing season to reach its potential so should ideally be in the ground May or June. Moisture in the seed bed is essential to aid a fast germination and avoid potential issues with weeds or pests. It is a hungry crop, and it will thrive from being well fed throughout the season with a split nitrogen application of 65% at sowing and 35% when the crop is around 15cms tall. Care must be taken to avoid clubroot and should be grown after at least a 5 year break in brassica production to ensure they do not develop misshapen roots. If there is a shorter gap or a history of clubroot there are clubroot tolerant varieties available. It is always vital to observe the crop regularly particularly at the early vulnerable stage with flea beetle, slugs and pigeons all potential pests. The correct variety should be selected with thicker high yielding marrow stems perfect for cattle grazing and shorter varieties with higher leaf to stem ratio more appropriate for sheep grazing.
