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Interior and Garden ideas for your home from Newcastle and the North East of England.
Growing broccoli
Mar 6 2010
By homemaker
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea)
PLANT enough varieties, and brocolli can be harvested for around 10 months of the year. Green types are ready to harvest from mid-summer to mid-autumn, sprouting varieties from late autumn and purple and white sprouting from mid-winter to spring.
Grow in a sunny position in rich soil with plenty of organic matter. Sow seed under glass in early spring or in open ground in late spring. Sow seeds indoors in a cell tray with cells at least 4cm square by 4cm deep, filled with compost, placing two or three seeds in each and covering with vermiculite. Keep seedlings in a cool, light position, and thin out to leave one strong plant in each cell.
If you’re sowing outside, sow in rows, covering with 1-2cm of multi-purpose compost, and thin seedlings to 10cm apart when large enough to handle. Move to their final position when 12cm high, with two pairs of leaves. Leave 30cm between calabrese plants – (the green sprouting broccoli with flat, dense heads) – and 45cm (18in) between purple and white sprouting plants.
Broccoli likes firm soil and while seedlings are growing, weed regularly and watch out for slugs and snails. They will need watering regularly.
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