Flat Pole Cabbage

[Fudge]

Flat pole cabbage is a British heirloom cabbage that used to be used as a fodder crop. There are stories of farmers planting up to a million plants that were harvested by hand. When silage and mechanization became popular, the flat pole cabbage virtually dissapeared. Cabbages could weigh up to 40 lbs. Any other information on this cabbage would be appreciated. Even better would be a source of seed. A Google search yielded little useful information. I would like to grow this heirloom in Eastern Ontario.

Farmer John Barry's Bay Ontario

[Pat Meadows]

Maybe Seeds of Diversity (the Canadian seed savers organization) would know something about it.

See:

If not, maybe the Seed Savers Exchange (US equivalent of Seeds of Diversity) might have some information on it. For contact info, see:

Pat

[willynorman]

I am looking for a small amount of flat pole seed please is there anyone can help me. Regards Norman Willis. In devon UK

[Matthew]

This is described as a strain of flatpol. Good luck with the grow.

[Bill]

Hello My family used to grow flatpole cabbages for livestock feed in South Devon, but I have no idea what the variety was. Someone near Torquay used to sow them and we would buy transplants and borrow a cabbage planter, and I spent several hours bent over planting them - hoeing was also great 'fun'. We also used to grow a yellow/orange fleshed mangle but again I have no idea of the variety. William Woys Weaver wrote a great book called 'Heritage Vegetables' which does have some information in but not enough details.- we need something like this for agricultural crops and crop varieties. Maybe old NIAB type information leaflets would have something and there was an agricultural research station somewhere near Dartmoor or Exmoor that probably did trials. I live in Canada now and don't have access to stuff that you might be able to find out. Seed-a-holic is a good Irish seed company that might be able to help you. Tuckers on Asburton I think has gone out of business, but they used to do a lot of farm seeds. I would love to hear what you find out. Bill