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How to grow Purple sprouting broccoli in the UK

A long wait, but it gives you fresh greens in early spring when little else is ready.

• DifficultyMore care needed
• WhereBeds
• Grows to80cm
• Spacing60cm
• Time to first pickabout 36 weeks

When to sow, plant and harvest purple sprouting broccoli

Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.

Starting it indoors

1. Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
2. Push the seeds in (1cm deep) - a couple per pot
3. Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
4. Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
5. When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot

Planting it out

1. Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
2. Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
3. Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
4. Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
5. Space the plants about 60cm apart each way

Top tips for growing purple sprouting broccoli

• It stays in the ground nearly a year - plan the space.

Looking after purple sprouting broccoli

• Week 12: Push a strong stick in next to each plant so the wind doesn't knock it over

Soil and feeding

Firm, rich soil that isn't acidic. Add manure or compost the season before, then firm the soil well - tread it down! Loose soil makes floppy plants.

Pests and problems

• Wood pigeons: strip the soft young leaves off peas, beans and cabbage-family plants
• Cabbage white caterpillars: hatch under the leaves and eat them to lace
• Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather

• Use netting with small holes (butterfly netting) so butterflies can't lay eggs
• Bend canes or plastic pipe into hoops over the row
• Stretch netting over the hoops, pulled tight so birds can't get tangled
• Peg or weigh down the edges so nothing can sneak underneath
• Check it every day

Harvesting and eating purple sprouting broccoli

Snap off the purple shoots when they're about 10cm long, before the flowers open.

How to eat them: Steam for 3 minutes and dip in a soft-boiled egg.

Storing purple sprouting broccoli

Keeps a few days.

• Keep in a bag in the fridge

Freeze well: blanch them (dip in boiling water for 2 minutes, then straight into icy water - ask a grown-up to help), dry and bag.

Good varieties of purple sprouting broccoli

• Claret: Purple sprouting broccoli in spring.
• Red Arrow: Early purple sprouting - from late winter.
• Green Magic: Big green heads in summer, like the shops.

Companion planting

Grows well with

• Nasturtiums: caterpillars go for nasturtiums instead of your broccoli
• Sweet alyssum: tiny wasps and hoverflies that eat greenfly
• Dill: its flowers bring hoverflies and tiny wasps that eat greenfly and caterpillars

Keep away from

• Strawberries: cabbage-family plants can stunt strawberries

Saving your own purple sprouting broccoli seed

It only makes seed in its second summer.

1. This plant flowers in its second year, so leave one or two strong plants in the ground over winter
2. Next summer they grow tall and flower - bees love them
3. Cut the seed heads when they're brown and dry, and shake out the seeds
4. Cabbage-family plants cross with each other, so seed may not come true

Things to build for purple sprouting broccoli

• Hoop tunnel cover:
• Cold frame:

Where to buy purple sprouting broccoli seeds

Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon

These are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Read more.

Purple sprouting broccoli questions

When should I sow purple sprouting broccoli in the UK?

In the UK, sow purple sprouting broccoli indoors from early April to mid May. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.

When do I plant out purple sprouting broccoli?

Plant purple sprouting broccoli out from early June to mid July.

When can I pick purple sprouting broccoli?

Purple sprouting broccoli is ready from early February to late April. Snap off the purple shoots when they're about 10cm long, before the flowers open.

How long do purple sprouting broccoli take to grow?

Roughly 36 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.

Are purple sprouting broccoli easy to grow?

Purple sprouting broccoli are rated 'more care needed' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed.