Calabrese gives you one generous central head first, then keeps producing smaller side shoots for weeks afterwards if you leave the plant in.
Calabrese is what most people picture when they think of broccoli — a single dense head, ready across summer and early autumn, unlike the purple sprouting variety which crops the following spring. Sowing into modules rather than direct into the bed avoids the root disturbance brassicas dislike most.
Sowing & growing calendar
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in April | Sow in May | ||||||||||
| Plant | Plant in June | |||||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in August | Harvest in September | Harvest in October | |||||||||
| Protect | Protect in June | Protect in July | Protect in August | Protect in September |
Care details
- Sow April – May
Sow in modules under cover for transplanting.
- Plant In June
Plant out into a firm, undisturbed bed once seedlings have several true leaves.
- Protect June – September
Net against cabbage white butterflies and pigeons for the whole growing period.
- Harvest August – October
Cut the central head while tightly budded, then keep picking side shoots as they form.
Growing tips & common problems
- Sow in modules rather than open ground, so the roots go undisturbed when you transplant — brassicas dislike a disturbed root run.
- Net plants from the day they go in, not after damage appears; cabbage white caterpillars find new plants fast.
- Keep cutting side shoots regularly once the main head is picked — the more you harvest, the more the plant produces.
Grows well with
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