Broccoli : Brokali Apollo

Vegetable

• Crops in : Late June to late September

Description

Grow your own distinctly-flavoured, tender-stem broccoli at a fraction of the price of imported supermarket produce. A cross between selections of broccoli and kailaan (Chinese kale) to give deliciously flavoured, soft and tender, nutrient-rich stems and flower buds. The main or central head must be cut to encourage plenty of side-shoots.

Sowing Instructions

Sow mid March to mid June. Sow seeds indoors, 13mm (½in) deep in pots or seed trays of good free-draining seed compost. Germination takes 7-10 days at 15-18C (60-65F). Can also be sown outdoors, thinly, in a prepared seedbed.

Growing Instructions

Transplant when plants have 4 or 5 true leaves, approximately 5 weeks from sowing, into well prepared soil. Plant firmly and water in, allowing 90cm x 75cm (36in x 30in) spacing. Cover with enviromesh or narrow gauge netting to keep out aphids and cabbage caterpillars.