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Brassica oleracea italica - Plenck.

Broccoli

Author	Plenck.	Botanical references	200
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Brassica
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	A cultivated form of B. oleracea.
Habitat	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating	5 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.9m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Young flowering stems and leaves - raw or cooked[33, 46]. The shoots of sprouting broccoli are harvested when about 10cm long, and before the flowers open, the shoots look somewhat like a small white or purple cauliflower and have a delicious flavour[K]. They are considered to be a gourmet vegetable. When picking the stems, make sure that you leave behind a section of the stem with leaves on it, since the plants will often produce new side shoots from the leaf axils[K]. Calabrese and Romanesco plants produce a central inflorescence rather like a small cauliflower, which are sometimes followed by a number of smaller flowering shoots. They usually come into bearing in the late summer or autumn and are very productive if they are regularly harvested. Sprouting broccoli plants come into production in late winter to early spring and can be very heavy bearing over a period of two months or more so long as all the flowering stems are harvested before coming into flower.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[16, 200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.3. Prefers a heavy soil[16]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil[33]. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200]. Some forms are very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -17°c[200]. Broccoli is closely related to the cauliflowers (C. oleracea botrytis) and is often grown for its edible young flowering stems which, by careful selection of varieties, can be available almost all year round from early summer right round to late spring. There are many named varieties and these can be classified into three main groups:- Calabrese, which matures in summer and autumn, is the least cold-hardy form. It produces green, or sometimes purple, flowering heads[264]. Some forms will produce a number of side shoots once the main head has been harvested, though other forms seem unable to do this[264]. Romanesco matures in late summer and the autumn. It has numerous yellowish-green conical groups of buds arranged in spirals[264]. Given a little protection from the cold, it is possible to produce a crop throughout the winter. Unlike the other types of broccoli, romanesco seems unable to produce side shoots once the main head has been harvested[264]. Sprouting broccoli is the most cold-hardy group. It does not form a central head like the other two groups but instead produces a mass of side shoots from early spring until early summer. The more you harvest these shoots, especially if you do so before the flowers open, then the more shoots the plant produces[K]. A good companion for celery and other aromatic plants since these seem to reduce insect predations[18, 20]. Grows badly with potatoes, beet and onions[20]. Grows well with potatoes, beet and onions according to another report[201].

Propagation

Seed - sow sprouting broccoli in a seedbed outdoors in March to May. Plant out in June. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported. Romanesco and calabrese are often sown in situ in the spring.

Cultivars

'Cruiser'

A mid-season calabrese, maturing in two months from sowing the seed and producing secondary shoots[264]. It does well in hot, dry conditions[264].

'Early Purple Sprouting'

A very traditional and high yielding variety of sprouting broccoli, starting to crop in late winter and continuing for a period of 2 - 3 months.

'Early White Sprouting'

A very traditional and high yielding variety of sprouting broccoli, starting to crop in late winter and continuing for a period of 2 - 3 months.

'Late Purple Sprouting'

A very traditional and high yielding variety of sprouting broccoli, starting to crop about two weeks later than 'Early Purple Sprouting' and continuing for a period of 2 - 3 months.

'Late White Sprouting'

A very traditional and high yielding variety of sprouting broccoli, starting to crop about two weeks later than 'Early White Sprouting' and continuing for a period of 2 - 3 months.

'Minaret'

A Romanesco type, cropping in late autumn until early winter if given some protection from the cold.

'Shogun'

A tall calabrese type with a central head up to 105mm across. It is tolerant of wet conditions. This variety can be sown under cover in mid autumn to produce a crop in late spring.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[264] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995 ISBN 0 333 62640 0
Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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