What makes Broccoli seeds special?
Broccoli is part of the cabbage family, it’s a large plant in vegetable terms. The different varieties have stunning form and colourful, edible foliage. Once you have your broccoli seeds up and running a long harvest is guaranteed. A great edible for winter, keeping soil occupied and active and tastes incredible fresh off the plant. Suttons have all types of Broccoli varieties, from all year round purple sprouting, continuity mixes and seeds such as ‘Rudolph’ which is ideal for Freezing. Why not try some exotic Broccoli such as Chinese ‘Wok Broccoli’. For maximum nutrients steam cook Broccoli.
Growing Broccoli from seed
- Broccoli can be sown late winter to early spring or even autumn sowing, giving you the opportunity for a near-constant supply of this healthy veg
- Start your seeds in small pots in a greenhouse or propagator, with a decent peat-free compost. Sieve over the broccoli seedlings to give them a really strong start. Can be sown in drills in open ground when the soil warms up.
- Once your pot grown Broccoli is large enough to handle its time to plant out. Dig in good organic matter prior to planting out and some chicken pellets for a Nitrogen feed.
- It's a good idea to put netting over Broccoli to protect against the pigeons. This will also protect against hungry Caterpillars. It’s worth growing plants on until they are at 4 to 6 leaves as this will deter snails and slugs. Set traps for them if sown open ground.
- If weather is unusually warm beware of the plant setting seed as quick as possible (bolting) – remove any forming flowers to prevent this.
A must plant for the veggie grower giving a long harvest, great for winter. Water broccoli plants deeply in the early morning so both the soil and plant soak the water up. If they are growing on a windy site, staking and support will help these plants.
Want more help? Check out the 'Best expert advice on growing broccoli' article, full of tips from experienced gardeners keen to share their knowledge.
