Broccoli (Autumn) 'Green Calabrese' Seeds
A top choice for tasty and tender veg!
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Just £3.99
Key Features
Plant In Sunshine
Edible
Easy To Grow
Width: 40cm
Height: 60cm
Height: 60cm
- Late summer through autumn cropping – a superb cut-and-come-again vegetable
- Easy-to-grow and reliable, sow in succession for a long harvesting season
- Delicious steamed, boiled, stir-fried or raw – and freezes well too
- Tasty and nutritious – an excellent source of vitamins, fibre and antioxidants
- Supplied as a packet of approximately 200 seeds, ready to sow indoors or outdoors
Plant Calendar
Planting Time
Fruiting Time
Sowing Time
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Description
One of the most rewarding and economical vegetables you can grow, Green Calabrese will crop from late summer right through autumn, producing densely packed clusters of deep bluish-green buds of up to 15cm (6in) diameter atop thick, tender stems and rich green leaves that are just as good to eat. Harvesting the broccoli heads will encourage further florets to grow lower down the stem – a great cut-and-come-again vegetable!
With a milder, more subtle flavour than sprouting broccoli, ‘Green Calabrese’ makes a colourful and tasty ingredient whether prepared raw for salads or dips, or steamed, boiled or stir-fried. It makes great soup, too – an ideal way of using up any leftover stems and leaves. Excess crops will freeze well, so you can enjoy this versatile veg through the winter, long after its generous season has finished.
Commonly regarded as a ‘superfood’, all parts of the plant are highly nutritious – a great source of fibre and protein, as well as vitamins and minerals. The leaves hold the highest levels of antioxidants and vitamins, and the stalks contain the most fibre – far too good to waste!
Easy to grow, broccoli will thrive in an open, sunny position in fertile, well draining, moisture-retentive soil. Ideally, dig in some well-rotted manure into the growing site in the autumn before sowing. There is no need to dig over the soil too much immediately before planting as undisturbed soil offers a firm roothold for brassicas and will help them establish quickly and well. Successive sowing will extend the cropping season. Fast-growing, they will reach a mature height of up to 60cm (24in).
Supplied as a packet of 200 (approx.) seeds ready to sow either indoors from March to May (for planting out May–June), or outdoors from March to May directly into their growing position. Harvest from September to November.
Top Tips
- Add a general-purpose fertiliser to the soil before planting, unless the soil has been manured in the previous autumn.
- Cover seedlings and young plants with fleece to deter insect pests and birds, and pick off caterpillars.
- Once the main head of broccoli is cut, the plants will produce more side shoots for picking.
- 100g of broccoli provides the daily requirement of vitamin C as well as many other vitamins and minerals. To retain most of the nutritional content, eat raw or steam in pan or microwave, or stir-fry.
Care Information
How to grow Broccoli
- Sow outdoors, March to May, thinly in a seed bed, 1.5cm (½in) deep, directly into finely prepared soil that has already been watered. Seedlings usually appear in 14–28 days. Water well until plants are about 10cm (4in) tall. Allow 45cm (18in) between rows. Plant firmly and water well.
- Or sow indoors, March to May, 0.5cm (¼in) deep, in a try of compost. Water well and place in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Keep moist. Transplant 5cm (2in) apart to other trays when large enough to handle. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions (avoid frosts), before planting out.
- Harvest September to November
Aftercare
- Water every 1–2 weeks if the weather is dry to avoid plants running to seed prematurely.
- When plants are established, apply a liquid fertiliser once a week through the growing season.
Delivery Information
Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.
Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.
We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.
Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.
Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.
Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.
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