Michael Fox is chairperson of South Dublin Allotments Association.  He also runs an 8 week grow your own course for back gardeners in Terenure, Dublin-see www.plottopot.ie

One of the great delights is to grow a vegetable in the garden that is rarely available to buy in the shops and rather expensive if you are lucky enough to find it.  Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a vegetable at its tasty nutritious best when it comes straight from the garden, it crops generously over an extended period, and at a time when there are not many vegetables ready to pick (during the so called “hungry gap” from March to June).  Purple Sprouting Broccoli (PSB) really is in a class of its own and it’s about this time of year that it really comes into it’s own.

PSB is sown the previous spring, planted out during the summer, and overwinters without a bother, through all weathers, to deliver a fine looking crop in springtime. Cabbage caterpillars, often troublesome on summer brassicas, are rarely a problem.

PSB is a stately plant, the king of brassicas in size and vigour (often growing 4-5 ft in height). The purple broccoli “florets”, considerably smaller than those of autumn producing calabrese (the green type of broccoli we normally buy in the shops) are borne on succulent stems. These florets look beautiful, set against the grey/green of the massive leaves in early spring sunshine.

How to Grow It

Sow seeds of purple sprouting broccoli from April to May in a moist, finely raked seedbed or in deep (7-9in pots) of compost. Protect seedlings when they emerge from slug damage using barriers, beer traps or if necessary Ferramol slug pellets (these slug pellets are less damaging to wildlife than the traditional metaldehyde slug pellets).

The aim is to have 4-5 strongly growing plants, (enough to give ample pickings for an average family and maybe some left to freeze) ready to plant in their final position in July/August. By then your plants should be as big as a garden trowel or slightly bigger. Plant them 3 ft apart in each direction. Almost inevitably, you will have plants of PSB left over from your seedbed-they make a good bartering plant for exchanges with your GIY friends!

Their growing position should have had generous applications of manure or compost the previous Autumn/Winter, and two handfuls per sq. yd. of organic fertilizer such as chicken manure pellets before planting. PSB, like all big, hungry brassicas, need a second application of fertilizer. This should be given at the half way stage of their growth cycle in late Autumn- at the rate of one handful per square yard.

Watering requirements, like those of feeding, are important with such fast growing plants. Upturned plastic bottles with the bottom cut off and partially sunk into the soil adjacent to your plants will provide an effective conduit for precious water from your hose or watering can, going right down to your plants root system. Lawn clippings or similar organic mulches can be applied regularly in 1-2in layers to conserve moisture.  These two measures alone will save considerable water wastage from endless splashing around on the surface, where most of the water will only evaporate.

Staking each plant provides protection from wind-rock and will prevent plants being flattened if there is a heavy snowfall in winter. After that the main protective measure is well secured netting, raised comfortably above and well secured either side of your plants before winter sets in, as the pigeons may find your plants irresistible.

Harvesting:

A mild winter may mean a central cluster of broccoli may appear as early as February-otherwise March to April will be harvest time. Cut the central broccoli cluster first –then the florets will appear on side shoots over the ensuing weeks. Cut (or break off) these side shoots regularly with 4-5 inches of the tender stem as well as some small tender leaves attached.  The side shoots eventually become so small as to become unusable, signalling the end of the cropping period. 

Plants can be composted by stripping off the side branches of the PSB plant, adding these to the compost heap separately. The main stem of the plant, being thick, tough and highly fibrous may need to be bashed with a lump hammer to aid decomposition.  If you enjoyed growing this super vegetable you will have your next year’s seeds already sown -so the cycle goes on.

The best way to cook this tender delicious vegetable is to steam lightly and toss in butter.

Varieties:

“Early Purple Sprouting” is the probably the best but there are also varieties like “Claret” which crop slightly later.  Some new varieties of PSB, which are sown and crop in the same year may be worth a try, but not if you want to avoid the problem of caterpillars.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Why Grow it?