brassica family

Broccoli

Brassica oleracea Italica Group · Moderate

UK sprouting broccoli is a long-season brassica that often clears in spring, unlike summer-cropping calabrese.

Sow

Sow spring to early summer, depending on type and intended harvest.

Transplant firmly from late spring into summer.

Sprouting broccoli mainly late winter to spring; calabrese generally summer to autumn.

Practical growing notes

Valuable shoots during the hungry gap and a well-timed spring handover for the next crop.

Protect from pigeons and caterpillars, and distinguish sprouting broccoli from calabrese when planning dates.

Keep the bed moving

A cool-season climbing crop, with early and maincrop varieties and edible-pod options.

A succession-friendly salad crop, especially useful as loose-leaf or cut-and-come-again types.

A compact direct-sown root crop, with short-rooted varieties suitable for containers.

A dependable root crop whose young leaves are edible too, well suited to repeated small sowings.