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VegetablesHardyAnnual
Broccoli (Calabrese)
Calabrese is the familiar fast-maturing broccoli grown for a large central head followed by smaller side shoots. It is a dependable crop for summer and autumn harvests, giving a generous return from well-grown plants in fertile ground.
Basic information
Category
Vegetables
Lifecycle
Annual
Hardiness
Hardy
Planting partners
6 companions · 1 crop to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
100 days
Germination window
7–14 days
Germination temperature
10–20 °C
Plant spacing
60 cm
Row spacing
60 cm
Sowing depth
1.5 cm
Height
60 cm
Spread
60 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Notes
Sow Outdoors: Often started in an outdoor seedbed, then transplanted. Later sowings can go direct, but protect young plants from slugs and brassica pests.
Care tips
Keep calabrese growing quickly from transplanting onward, because any check in growth can reduce head quality and encourage buttoning. Water in dry weather, protect young plants from pigeons and butterflies with mesh, and cut the central head promptly so side shoots can develop.
Common pests
Cabbage root fly, caterpillars, clubroot, pigeons.
