Perennial broccoli

[rob the roller]

After many disappointments I have finally grown my first brassica, Nine Star Perennial brocolli. Problem is how do you harvest it. The plants have formed heads of different sizes. Some have only one large heart (biggest is about the size of a large orange) others have several small ones.

Can anyone advise what to do next, e.g. do you cut off the entire stem at the neck (a la guillotine), or cut the brocolli heart out from the surrounding leaves? What size should the hearts be when ready to be cut? Thompson & Morgan who supply the seeds are unable to help.

Rob

[Duronal]

I would cut the heads off at the base where they form, ala PSB. You'll need to leave the plant in the ground for next year so i wouldn't have thought you'd cut it to the floor.

Whatever you do don't wait too long, the cropping time will be relatively short, if you let the heads develop too much the plant will go to seed and then die.

here's what the web has to say

Organic Gardening: How to grow organic Cauliflower | Vegetable Crops for the Garden

...Perennial cauliflower (formerly broccoli) 'Nine Star Perennial' should be sown in March to April, transplanting to 1m by 500cm (3'x18"). The bed should be moved to a new site after 3 years' cropping. Heads are produced around February to March each year. All must be cut to keep plants productive in following years....

Brassica oleracea botrytis aparagoides - Plants For A Future database report
...Prefers a position in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[200]. Prefers a heavy soil. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200]. Nine star perennial broccoli is occasionally grown for its immature flower head, this is a perennial form of cauliflower that produces one small central cauliflower-like head and a number of smaller broccoli-like spears in early spring. Plants do not often live for more than 3 - 5 years. Grows well with celery and other aromatic plants since these seem to deter insect predations[18, 20, 201]. Grows badly with beet, tomatoes, onions and strawberries[20, 201]....

I hope that helps

D

[bluemoon]

I've never grown this particular type, but most broccolis just require you to cut the edible bit off. don't butcher it too much because they keep producing spears even when you've removed the central head. As you have to leave this variety in position I'd be very careful about clubroot too.

[Snadger]

I've got two plants of nine star........one has got small cauli's on it and tuther is a mass of leaves but no caulis.
I don't mind though as brassica leaves are my chooks favourite desert!

I will probably harvest all the cauli's for this Sunday's dinner!

[rob the roller]

Thank you for your tips on club foot and cutting the heads Bluemoon.

Snadger, is this your first time to grow this variety?

Thank you for referring me to these websites Duronal, they are very helpful, although the seed sellers say cut April to May.

Regards

Rob

[Snadger]

Thank you for your tips on club foot and cutting the heads Bluemoon.

Snadger, is this your first time to grow this variety?

Thank you for referring me to these websites Duronal, they are very helpful, although the seed sellers say cut April to May.

Regards

Rob

My first harvest was last year but I pulled quite a few plants out because they were taking up too much space!

[BayViewPlot]

Harvested mine for the first time today.

Mine cropped in small heads from the outside in resulting in a large-orange-sized head in the middle. The outside heads were ready earlier than the inside.

Nice and better than expected- woo hoo.