Purple sprouting broccoli

[serenity]

I LOVE psb but have a very small garden and as it takes up so much space and time I decided not to grow it. As an alternative I am trying broccoli raab (40 day) and a fast maturing calabress (10 weeks? ).

Now I have to confess to eating a full packet of psb all to myself last night as a snack, dipped in melted butter so I REALLY need to grow this. Could I get away with growing it in a pot and when is the latest I could sow the seeds?

[Snadger]

I agree, as I am a recent convert to PSB! I have a large allotment but don't like the idea of something taking up the ground for 10 months. I am on the search for a quicker maturing PSB but so far, to no avail! Calabrese is a lot quicker but there are no purple varieties as far as I know.
I honestly have no idea what to advise you, but I think if grown in a pot, considering its size and time it's going to be in there, it needs to be a very large pot filled with a soil based compost and it would probably need staking!

Good luck, and I wish you well with your PSB addiction!

[Paulottie]

Hello serenity, There are quicker maturing sproutings for summer. The trouble is there are many more demands on the space and loads more to eat at that time. PSB's great joy is it fills 'hungry gap.'

You can sow psb until about early June, by the time it gets big, most things will be over. I've never tried in a pot. It would need to be pretty heavy/tied to wall as it would just blow over.

I'm very sorry you had to get some wrapped in plastic. I would have offered but geographically impossible and the deer polished off what the catapillars and pigeons left! Luckily my neighbour has loads she doesn't want to eat- Its one of those 'the more you pick it the more you get' crops.

[serenity]

You can sow psb until about early June, by the time it gets big, most things will be over.

In that case what I may try is waiting till june to sow in modules, pot on as necessary till the peas are cleared and transplant into there. Iv'e seen the seeds in netto for 19p so would be stupid not to try, the stuff in the supermarket is £1.29 a pack

[Flummery]

I'm sowing later it to follow early peas and broadies Serenity. As far as I can see, the summer ones with short maturing time are in when all your other stuff is in - therefore competing for space. I'm hoping it will follow on from early stuff, like the leeks. Gorgeous stuff though, isn't it?

[serenity]

Ohh yes. My OH thinks it's crazy that I can drool over a plate of vegetables. I don't care, more for me

[Snadger]

In that case what I may try is waiting till june to sow in modules, pot on as necessary till the peas are cleared and transplant into there. Iv'e seen the seeds in netto for 19p so would be stupid not to try, the stuff in the supermarket is £1.29 a pack

I grew the stuff from Netto's last year! I sowed the seeds in May and it started cropping in March this year.
It was in my old allotment, and would still have been cropping now if the new occupants had not pulled it out for no reason, along with other brassicas and left them lying on the ground!

Sacrilage is what it is!

[Cutecumber]

Try and get it in the ground, Serenity. I grew just two plants because that's all I had room for - but it was worth it.

If you put it in a pot, it adds height and makes it even more exposed to the wind - this is a problem for me even in the ground. I ended up with two thick hazel stems either side of the plant. It would not have been stable in a pot.

I'll be trying to get two plants gain this year - will be sowing this week or next, but you've got a few weeks more opportunity at least.

[serenity]

could you tell me how tall/wide it grows to?

[Paulottie]

Approx 4/5ft high and spread 2ft at top

[Cutecumber]

Well, mine grew in an an area that has intermittent tree cover - it was about 1.5m high and the biggest leaves were about 70cm across, something like that.

I am sure it shouldn't get quite as tall as that, but they are not small plants even when grown in ideal conditions.

[Paulottie]

Sorry I really should go metric! basically prettty big!

[serenity]

ok so I see now why a pot would be out of the question.

[Snadger]

You could try some Gorilla planting techniques and plant them in a local hedgerow!

PS You think you've got problems, I've just potted on 24 walking stick cabbage which can grow to 7 foot tall in the first year! Think I'll turn them into a hedge!