Purple Sprouting Broccoli - it's too early, isn't it?

newsgroup_monkey

I bought some Purple Sprouting Broccoli from RHS Wisley in late March and planted it straight out at the allotment.

When I bought it, it was about 4-5 inches tall. It grew very quickly and is now about a foot and a half tall. It's now sprouting lovely purple heads and looks like the weedy stuff you get in Tesco in the "finest" range.


Now that's great, but looking around, it says that it should be planted in April - May and will be available by the beginning of the following year.

This stuff clearly hasn't had more than 2-3 months of growing time.

What's going on? I know I have to pick it because otherwise it will flower and not produce any more broccoli.

Ideas?

Lotus-eater

It's never happened to me, but I know it can happen. I think you may be able to pick them now and they should resprout again at the proper time. But that may be it for them. It should be really, under the plants flowering act 1972, once they flower that's it.
I presume that they must have been under alot of stress somehow to have done this.

But I'd like to hear from someone who has actually dealt with this situation.

annie123

I think you may have a calabrase instead.
In their shop they sell http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/seeds/vegetable-seed/vegetables/kitchengarden/vegetables/brassicas/edible-plant-stem/broccoli-fiesta-f1/classid.2000012602/ seeds which looking at the packet, seem to produce purple looking heads, so they may sell them as plants too.
Timing would be about right, just a thought.

Lotus-eater

annie123 wrote: »

I think you may have a calabrase instead.
In their shop they sell http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/seeds/vegetable-seed/vegetables/kitchengarden/vegetables/brassicas/edible-plant-stem/broccoli-fiesta-f1/classid.2000012602/ seeds which looking at the packet, seem to produce purple looking heads, so they may sell them as plants too.
Timing would be about right, just a thought.

Oh that's true. Is it all sprouting then?

newsgroup_monkey

wasn't seeds though, it was an actual plant. I'm going to pop down the lotty later if I can and have a read of the label.

Cheers for the advice. I'd be surprised if it was stressed - it was originally covered with a cloche and then a net. It's never really dried out and apart from last weeks wind, it's grown very quickly.
It does say it's "pick and come again"

Lotus-eater

Doesn't need cloching and shouldn't grow too quickly if it's PSB.

annie123

newsgroup_monkey wrote: »

wasn't seeds though, it was an actual plant. I'm going to pop down the lotty later if I can and have a read of the label.

Cheers for the advice. I'd be surprised if it was stressed - it was originally covered with a cloche and then a net. It's never really dried out and apart from last weeks wind, it's grown very quickly.
It does say it's "pick and come again"

I know it wasn't seeds but they may have sold the same as plants.
The packets says; after the 300-400g central heads have been harvested, give the plants a feed and this will encourage subsequent side shoots to develop. These can be cut regularly until the first frosts.


This would make it pick and come again.

newsgroup_monkey

annie123 wrote: »

I know it wasn't seeds but they may have sold the same as plants.
The packets says; after the 300-400g central heads have been harvested, give the plants a feed and this will encourage subsequent side shoots to develop. These can be cut regularly until the first frosts.


This would make it pick and come again.

Ah ok, I see what you mean. It certainly doesn't clump together like my green Calabrese I grew last year - it's much more spindly, but looks like it may flower if I leave it much longer.

OK, i'll go pick some tonight and I'll get back to you.

valk_scot

You've got the summer version, that's all. There are two types, the kind that overwinter and you pick in March/April and a similar type you plant in spring and harvest that aummer and autumn. Just go ahead and eat it now. You've got plenty of time to plant out the overwintering type which should just be appearing in the garden centre around now. Mine (I grow early and late purple and early and late green sprouting) are still in the seed bed.

newsgroup_monkey

Thanks Val,
I didn't get a chance to get over last night, but I've definitely got to get over tonight (although it's been raining today so not as desperate - we try to get over every other day at this time of year when dry)

newsgroup_monkey

Gah, it's been a difficult week or so. I haven't been able to update the thread, but here goes:

So I went back to the allotment and had a look at the label. It says

"Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli"

Plant out in March. Harvest between June and September.

So far so good. Except it was still late May. So I left it to form a bit better (it was a bit spindly).

Unfortunately, because I left it over the weekend (lots of rain and lots of sun in between) it's flowered. Gah. That means I've effectively lost 3 out of 6 plants.

Harvested the other 3 and hopefully they'll grow thicker next time round.