Broccoli Calabrese

The dependable summer sprouting broccoli. Sow in spring, cut the central head in late summer, then keep picking side shoots for weeks.

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Sowing and growing

Sowing and harvest months
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sow			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Harvest							Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Depth: 15 mm
Spacing: 45 cm
Germination: 7 – 12 days
Aspect: Full sun
Containers: No
Under cover: Not needed
Family: Brassicas

How to sow it

Calabrese is the broccoli most people picture, and it earns its place because it gives twice: one generous central head, then a steady run of smaller side shoots if you leave the plant standing. It wants an open, sunny bed and firm ground — brassicas sulk in loose soil.

Sow into modules from March and plant out when the seedlings have four true leaves, or sow direct and thin ruthlessly. Crowded brassicas produce small heads and bolt early, which is the single most common way this crop disappoints.

Read the full guide: thinning and spacing: why crowded rows fail