Want to try something TASTY and DIFFERENT? Quick to cook with no waste? Go for the stem broccoli!
You may well have bought this expensive broccoli in the supermarket, but it’s easy to grow your own! Simply steam or lightly boil the spears for a delicious, sweet, melt-in-the-mouth treat. And they’re equally tasty eaten raw! When the main head has been harvested, fresh new shoots develop which, after 10 days, are ready to be picked (and the shoots grow above the plant, so they catch the sunlight).
Tom says: The slightly untidy cousin of calabrese, broccoli provides you with the first harvests of the year in January-April. The sweet, earthy flavour complements all kinds of dishes from Asian inspired stir-fries to Sunday roasts.
Growing Information
Sow February-June. Harvest May-October.
Sowing Information
Sow in a propagator on a windowsill or greenhouse at approx 18-21°C (65-70°F) using quality compost. Cover the seeds with 6mm (1?4″) sieved compost. Germination 7-12 days. Transfer when large enough to handle into 7.5cm (3″) pots and grow on in a warm light position. Plant out 8 weeks later, allowing 60cm (24″) between plants each way. Alternatively sow thinly direct into a finely raked ‘seedbed’ or in a frame at a depth of 13mm ( 1?2″). Transfer to the same spacing. Sowing ➞ Cropping: From 90 days
