Brassicas

Brassicaceae is a family of plants belonging to the mustard family. Plants belonging to this plant genus are often referred to as mustards or cabbages. Brassicas are native to the temperate regions of Asia, Western Europe, and the Mediterranean. The resulting crops are often referred to as cole crops and contain more agricultural and horticultural plants than any other genus. The word cole is from the Middle English word col meaning the “stem” or “stalk” of the plant.

A cole crop refers specifically to the species Brassica oleracea, cool-weather vegetables that are easily hybridized. They are also self-incompatible, which means that flowers of the same plant cannot pollinate among themselves. Hybrids are generally hardier and grow more rapidly, are more uniform in their maturity, and are more disease resistant than open-pollinated varieties. That is why they are often preferred by growers. Brassicas grow best between 15° and 20°C (59° and 68°F). Most will stop growing at 0°C; however some plants of this variety are able to withstand cooler temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F). Brassicas require soil that provides a continuous supply of water during the growing season or they will not develop or flower properly. Crops do not require much manual labor, because they can be easily harvested by machine, making them more profitable than crops that have to be harvested by hand.