Broccoli

Broccoli is a highly nutritious vegetable. You will really notice the difference in flavour with your own broccoli and, being so fresh, it will contain even more vitamins and health-giving properties. It belongs to the brassica family and there are three types: white and purple sprouting broccoli, and calabrese.

Varieties

CALABRESE

Calabrese ‘Marathon’: A popular variety producing large bluish-green flower heads.

PURPLE SPROUTING

‘Bordeaux’: A unique purple variety not requiring cold weather to initiate flower heads, so can be harvested as early as July if sown in February.

‘Claret’: Large purple heads, thick stems. Late harvest from March to April.

‘Early Purple Sprouting’: Hardy variety. Producing spears from February to May.

‘Extra Early Rudolph’: Very early purple-sprouting variety producing broccoli spears from January.

WHITE SPROUTING

‘Early White Sprouting’: Tall white spears with ‘cauliflower-like’ heads from February.

Growing tips

Broccoli likes a sunny spot and good rich soil. Prepare the ground by digging over and adding some garden compost or sprinkle with fertiliser, such as Growmore, or chicken manure pellets. Brassicas like a nice firm soil to be planted in, so after digging and raking walk over the surface to firm it well before planting.

Sowing and planting

Broccoli seeds can be sown in pots or seed or cell trays or straight into the soil in a seedbed. In pots or trays, first use a multi-purpose compost or a John Innes seed or No. 1 compost. Sow the seed about 1cm/½in deep and 1cm/½in apart. When the seedlings come through, remove some to leave the remaining seedlings about 2.5cm/1in apart, or singly in cell trays. Allow to grow on and remove a few again once they get overcrowded.

When about 5cm/2in tall in a seedbed, they can be transplanted to their final situation at 60cm/2ft apart. Try to keep as much soil on the roots as possible when transplanting. Pour plenty of water into the hole as you drop in the roots. Firm the compost around the young plant well. Try to plant deep so the bottom leaves are just above the soil surface.

Plants grown in pots or trays can be planted out when they get to about 10cm/4in high.

Growing on

Unfortunately, there are many pests that can devastate brassica crops. Pigeons are one problem, so cover young plants with netting or, preferably, a fine horticultural mesh or fleece that you can buy from a garden centre or by mail order. This mesh can also prevent other pests, such as the cabbage white butterfly, from laying their eggs on the leaves. Another pest to watch out for is the flea beetle, which makes small holes in the leaves; tiny plants can be completely eaten. Whitefly and aphids (greenfly) are a problem, too. The best care you can give the young plants is to walk the row every day quickly checking the leaves and squashing any yellow egg clusters of the cabbage white butterfly, or spraying the leaves with jets of water to remove whitefly.

Club root is a persistent fungus that causes plants to wilt and yellow, and roots to swell. Act immediately. Carefully dig up and discard infected plants. Cover the ground with construction-grade plastic for four weeks to sterilise the soil, then dig in plenty of organic matter and raise the pH, if necessary, by digging in hydrated lime.

Some broccoli plants can become top heavy, so stake them as soon as they are large enough.

When sprouting broccoli starts to produce its florets, it is ready to harvest. Occasionally one main head (similar to calabrese) will form and this should be picked to encourage smaller side shoots and flowers to grow.

Container growing

This is not an ideal crop to grow in a pot as it needs to be planted firmly and also grows quite large and tall (about 90cm/3ft). You could grow one broccoli plant in a large tub, but it would need to be staked to help keep it firm and prevent it from rocking in the wind. It should produce enough spears for a few meals for two people and would look attractive.

Fact file

Calendar

In the kitchen

Although broccoli originates from Italy, it has become a staple of the great British Sunday lunch. Broccoli is at its most nutritious and tasty if cooked soon after harvesting. The flower heads are the part that is usually eaten, but sprouting broccoli can be cut a little longer so it comes with a little leaf and stem.

Preparation and cooking: Leaves, stalks and florets can all be eaten. Simply remove dry or discoloured leaves and trim off the fibrous, tough stem base. Plunge into boiling water and boil, or steam, for about 5 minutes. The younger and fresher, the shorter the cooking time. Parboiled florets are delicious tossed in olive oil, with crushed anchovy, chillies and garlic, then stirred into pasta or risotto, or simply toss small florets into stir-fries for texture, colour and crunch.

Storage and freezing: Broccoli will keep for several days in the fridge, but avoid washing it first as this will encourage rot. To freeze, blanch small pieces of broccoli florets in boiling water for four minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly cool in ice cold water before draining and putting in freezer bags.

Brussels Sprouts

The Brussels sprout is a much maligned vegetable, probably because so many people overcook it. However, when fresh and picked small straight from the plot, then boiled lightly or stir-fried, this is a truly delicious vegetable. Sprouts take up a lot of space and are in the ground for months, so only consider them if you can spare the room.

Varieties

‘Brilliant F1’: An early variety with a long harvesting period. Disease resistant and not prone to bolting.

‘Cascade’: Has a Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM), meaning it performed well in trials at the RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. Good in all weathers and resistant to mildew.

‘Franklin F1’: A really early sprout that is reliable and has a good flavour. ‘Red Rubine’: Something a bit different – a red Brussels sprout. Looks very attractive on the vegetable plot and the sprouts even keep their colour with cooking.

‘Trafalgar F1’: A heavy cropping variety producing firm sweet buttons.

‘Valencia F1’: A new variety, also with an RHS AGM. Has a purple tint to the leaves. Grows to 1m/3ft and has well-spaced buttons.

Growing tips

Sowing and planting

Preparation of the soil is best done in autumn to allow winter rains to soak and firm the soil. Prepare the ground well adding garden compost or farmyard manure. Brussels sprouts can be sown as early as February, although at this time it is best to sow them in cell trays or pots inside a warm greenhouse or on a windowsill. If you wait until March they can be sown straight into the vegetable plot in a seedbed.

When sowing, use a line and make a small groove in the soil with the corner of a hoe or use the end of a stick about 1cm/½in deep. Water the drill before sowing the seed. It can be sown fairly densely, at least a seed every 5mm (¼in). Cover the seed drill with dry soil and gently firm.

Once the seedlings are through, watch out for flea beetle damage. This pest is a tiny shiny beetle that nibbles and makes holes in the leaves. If spotted, put some thick glue along a piece of wood and brush over the seedlings. The flea beetles, like their name suggests, leap from the crop and will stick to the wood.

When the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to about 8cm/3in apart. When they are about 10cm/4in high they can be planted out into the vegetable plot where they are to crop. Space them about 60cm/2ft apart and firm them in well.

Growing on

Newly planted sprouts will be vulnerable to attack by pigeons and other pests such as the cabbage white butterfly, so cover the young crop with horticultural fleece to keep them at bay.

Once the plants have reached a good size, it is worth staking the plants before autumn and winter because they can sometimes be bent over by windy weather. Also keep them well watered for best results.

If the crop is looking poor, give a liquid feed of a seaweed-based tonic such as Maxicrop. An extra application of a high nitrogen feed can be given up until about mid summer, but don’t apply later than this or it could cause the buttons to ‘blow’.

As the plants grow it is natural for some of the lower leaves to yellow and drop. Remove these and keep the plants clean and tidy.

As soon as the buttons are the right size for picking, remove the lowest ones first as and when you require them.

Container growing

Brussels sprouts are not suitable for a container, as they need plenty of space and very firm planting.

Fact file

Calendar

In the kitchen

These little green gems should be enjoyed more than once a year! Brussels are best harvested small and sweet but they store well and provide nutritious greens throughout the winter.

Preparation and cooking: Peel back and discard the outer and any discoloured leaves. Brussels sprouts can then be boiled whole for five minutes in deep salty water. Drain, dot with chunks of melting butter and serve straight away, or pan fry until the leaves begin to crisp at the edges. Alternatively, they can be shredded and fried, a much tastier option. Add some chopped leeks with the shredded Brussels sprouts for a really delicious side dish. They are also tasty with crispy pancetta and toasted pine nuts, or toss with chestnuts for the Christmas table and even the kids will want to try them!

Storage and freezing: Leave the buttons on the stalk and simply twist off as many as you need. To freeze, blanch in boiling water for three minutes, then spread out on a tray and freeze when cool. When frozen, seal in plastic bags.