My Garden

Purple Sprouting Broccoli - already sprouting

Last post 11-07-2009 5:22 PM by gran49. 9 replies.

• 25/06/2009 01:22 PM
  catymck Location: surrey Joined on: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 40	Reply | Contact I've not grown purple sprouting broccoli before and I need help!  One of the plants is already sprouting - not particularly purple and doesn't look very appetising or tasty.  What should I do?  Many thanks

• 25/06/2009 04:36 PM	In reply to
  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976	Reply | Contact Not sure, catymck, but it might have bolted. There is a good page of info here:  http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0904/bolting_vegetables.asp

• 25/06/2009 07:51 PM	In reply to
  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043	Reply | Contact If you sow your p s brocc too early it forgets what it is about and flowers without the usual need for some winter cold - when did you sow and how big is it now and what kind did you sow? Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 26/06/2009 11:06 AM

  In reply to

  catymck Location: surrey Joined on: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 40

  Reply | Contact Thanks for these.  Boggy - I sowed the seeds directly outdoors on 18th March and there hasn't been any significant frost down here since then.  It's sandy soil and we had had it covered for about three weeks to warm up a bit. They are just called 'early purple sprouting broccoli'.  The plants are nigh on three feet tall now and they are probably too close together - I can never bring myself to believe the instructions when they say 'thin to 24 inches' or the like! It seems to be only one plant - shall I just yank it out? Whilst I'm asking about broccoli, what about parsnips - mine have lots of lovely green foliage - now about 2 ft tall - is this right?  The books are very good at telling you what to do, but they never really tell you waht to expect! Many thanks

• 28/06/2009 08:17 AM

  In reply to

  Tracyj Location: South Yorkshire Joined on: 26 Jul 2008 Posts: 14

  Reply | Contact Hi, At least you have not done what I did last year.  As we had only had our allotment for a couple of months, the old gent on the next plot gave us some purple sprouting broccoli. I was realy excited as I love broccoli and could not wait to harvest. In July the first one sprouted but not enough for a meal, so I patently waited for the rest!! No more came, the first had gone to flower so I decided that we had failed at growing this crop and pulled them all up!!!  A couple of months on lots of allotment holders were saying how well thiers were comimg on and couldn't wait for harvesting.  That's when I found out that I had one doddgy plant which was way too early not a bed full of duds. As you can imagine the other guy's thought it very funny.

• 10/07/2009 11:34 AM	In reply to
  catymck Location: surrey Joined on: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 40	Reply | Contact Thanks for this.  Good job you mentioned it because I was going to take the lot out as well!  I've just taken out the one plant that was flowering and the others look fine.  Fingers crossed...

• 10/07/2009 04:53 PM

  In reply to

  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043

  Reply | Contact I would sow brocc a month later, even six weeks later in early gardens - on rich soil a March sowing can lead to serious flowering.  Go easy on the water and fertiliser now to keep your plants from getting so big that start flowering - 8 weeks of good growing weather left...  I have only just planted mine out (18ins apart on 2' centres) and they are about 1' tall.  I expect them to be wiry 2' ones by the end of summer and blue with drought and lack of feed.  Grown hard they will be robust to survive anything winter can throw at them.  A good top-dressing of nitrogen rich fertilise rin February will boost growth for  March-April cropping.  I rather suspect yours are rather close toegther and this will stunt them sufficiently to prevent excessive flowering - they will come right but beware wind-rock.  As for parsnips - 2ft foliage is pretty good - are you sure you have thinned them out enough - such high foliage might be a sign of over-crowding - I expect 18ins now even thugh I throw much fertiliser at them, but my soil is very poor.   Boggy         Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 10/07/2009 05:57 PM

  In reply to

  catymck Location: surrey Joined on: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 40

  Reply | Contact Thanks Boggy - you are a fount of knowledge! It's funny but my soil is dreadful - very sandy and dry.  Haven't watered except once last week when the temperatures were in the 90s, or fertilised them.  Yes they are far too close, but if that will eventually stunt them, perhaps I'll leave them like that.  I suspect the parsnips are too close as well and treated exactly the same as the brocolli - how far apart should they be?  Many thnaks

• 10/07/2009 07:32 PM	In reply to
  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043	Reply | Contact For nips aim for 45cm between rows and 15cm between plants. Closer by about 30 percent does not make much difference. Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 11/07/2009 05:22 PM	In reply to
  gran49 Location: Joined on: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 1	Reply | Contact HELLO FIRST TIME ONLINE, PURPLE SPROUTING BROC ONLY NOW SAY 5INCHS TALL AFTER PUTTING IT IN FRAME , TO HELP IT CATCH UP, BEEN ON AN ALLOTMENT WHERE I GREW IT FROM SEED BUT ITS BEEN COLD WHEN I PLANTED SEED IN APRIL WILL IT BE ANY GOOD OR HAVE I MUCKED IT UP