Broccoli Calabrese Green - Brassica oleracea italica

Sowing :

The germination temperature of the Calabrian Green Broccoli is around 15° and takes about 14 days.

It is sown from February to April under cover and from April to June in open ground for a harvest 60 days later.

You can proceed with direct sowing in situ or prepare plants that will then be planted in the garden in their final position.

Preparing plants: at home or in a heated greenhouse, from late autumn to late spring, or in a cold greenhouse or nursery for the rest of the year, sow the Broccoli seeds to a depth of 1 cm (0.5 in) in good seed compost. Lightly cover with compost or vermiculite. Don't forget to keep the substrate moist but not waterlogged!

When the young plants appear strong enough to handle, transplant them into pots and, for sowing under cover, gradually acclimatise them to cooler temperatures before transplanting them into the garden, when there is no longer any risk of frost.

Direct sowing: In properly amended and finely worked soil, make furrows about 1cm deep, spaced 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) apart. Sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of fine soil, when the seedlings are well developed, thin them out, leaving one plant every 50 cm (20in) or so.

Cultivation :

Broccoli is a demanding vegetable that requires well-fertilised soil, rich in nitrogen and potassium. It is advisable, preferably in autumn, to generously apply mature compost (about 3/4 kg per m2), by scratching it into the soil to a depth of 5 cm (2in), after having, as with all vegetable crops, loosened the soil well. It is not very tolerant regarding soil pH, which should be between 5.6 and 6.5. In acidic soil, it will be necessary to gradually raise this pH by making calcium additions in the form of Dolomite or Lime.

Broccoli, like all cabbages, is quite susceptible to diseases such as Clubroot and pests (Cabbage White Butterfly, Cabbage Fly, Flea Beetle, Cabbage Midge...), so it is very important, for this crop, to pay attention to crop rotations.

It is beneficial to associate it with many vegetables such as tomato, lettuce... But avoid planting it next to other Brassicas as well as zucchini, fennel, lamb's lettuce, leek, and strawberry.