calabrese yey or nay

[veggielover]

I already have purple sprouting growing, been told this won't be ready to harvest till next year?

I got some free calabrese seeds with Grow Cook and Eat magazine ( as well as carrot seeds, mixed oriental salad leaves seeds, tomato seeds, chilli seeds and spring cabbage seeds.

What i'm wondering is if i plant the seeds now, will i be able to eat this year or do they mean i can harvest next june?

I am so easily confused!!

[bluemoon]

Calabrese is this years crop, Veggielover. In my opinion it's worth growing as it has a much better flavour than shop bought if you pick it just before you need it. Cut off the central head when it forms, but leave the plants in the ground as they will usually produce spears which look rather like green PSB, but still have the calabrese taste.

[veggielover]

Thanks Bluemoon...... next problem..... where to grow!! running out of space!!!

[Comfreyfan]

Definitely a yey here - it's gorgeous! But I'm running out of space too. Every year I seem to want to grow more brassicas and they need so much room!

[veggielover]

i got to leave space for 24 cabbages in one bed and in the other bed i should hopefully have room for a few calabrese....... here's hoping!!

[Snadger]

Don't do as my newbie allotment neighbours did last year i.e. harvest the centre floret then pull the plant up! Lot's of tender sideshoots never got the chance to grow!

A very big 'YAY' from I btw!

[kate&rob]

try to stagger your sowing of calabrese, i had 20 plants all ready at the same time. but lovely stuff and takes no time at all to cook when freshly picked.
btw, i planted some summer psb last year that was ready in the same year. planted some more this year too.

[DaveInBraknell]

Hi,

I am experimenting a lot with brassicas this year also.

There is a 120 day version of Calbrese available here:
Vegetable Seeds: Broccoli or Calabrese, & Rapini

I am going to try successional sowing on it, my first round is already a month old ready for transplanting soon(ish)

Don't plant them too close as they will not grow as large, interspace distances on brassicas is really important found that out this year. If of course you want smaller ones (small family) pack them in a bit tighter but we found optimum distance around 45cm circle. Thats just about 2-3 per 1.5m bed across.

Dave