Novice PSB grower - what am I looking for?

[1Bee]

Um... I have nurtured my PSB through the months, but just realised I really have no idea what I'm looking for to know if it's starting to sprout?

Any clues?

[bario1]

You'll get a small purple floret forming on the growing tip, 1Bee. Wait till it's somewhere between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball, then cut it off with a sharp knife - spears will then start sprouting from all the joins between the stem and the leaves... yummy.

[1Bee]

Brilliant, thank you. I was a shock to realise I was growing something I'd never seen cropping before! Weird....

[bario1]

Yes they really are a 'long game' veg... mine didn't start cropping until July this year! My plants are a bit bigger this year than they were this time last year, so i'm hoping they'll flower late Feb/March time.

[Nicos]

Bit like this...



only smaller to start with.

I've previously dug mine up with impatience before we moved here!
Hadn't realised at the time how long it can take.
Well worth the wait!
But it does hog that bit of land well into the new growing season.

[PyreneesPlot]

I was shocked to find little purple sprouts on mine this morning, at least a month early.
Now to eat today or wait for them to get a little bigger ...

[Scoot]

Mine are quite small compared to last year. they seem to be growing a little bit now though but god knows how long it will take before i get some spears.

Question, can you eat the leaves as well? The new leaves off this year.

[Penellype]

Yes you can eat the leaves - in fact you can also grow PSB as microgreens if you want to use up the huge number of seeds you usually get in a packet. Remember though that the plant needs its leaves to make food so it can make more shoots, so don't eat too many!

[Scoot]

Thanks, I'll harvest a generous amount of leaves as well once my spears start appearing.

[greenishfing]

My PSB usually gives me sprouts in February but this year I planted some early PSB as well as it is my favourite veg. That started giving sprouts in December and is now on it's last legs but the normal one has just started.

I can never leave the first central sprout to get to golfball size as I am always in a hurry to get the plant to put the side sprouts out and I find picking the centre sprout seems to hurry it up (or maybe it's my imagination)