Broccoli 'Summer Purple' (Brassica oleracea Italica Group) – Purple Sprouting Vegetable Plants (12 Plants in 2 x 6-Cell Trays)

Purple sprouting broccoli is a classic British kitchen garden crop, and 'Summer Purple' gives tender, deep purple spears that you can cut and eat fresh from your own plot.

It makes an upright, branching plant with large blue-green leaves and plenty of side shoots. Cut the spears regularly to encourage more to follow. Plants like these are normally set out in early summer and cropped from late summer onwards, and purple sprouting types are hardy enough to stand outside through the winter.

You get 12 young broccoli plants, growing one to a cell in 2 plastic 6-cell trays, ready to plant out into a vegetable bed, raised bed or allotment plot. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with fertile, well-drained soil, and firm the soil well around the roots when planting. A large container will also do the job. Water regularly through the growing season and feed every two weeks.

Net the plants against pigeons and cabbage white butterflies. Tall plants may need staking or earthing up on an exposed site.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Summer Broccoli
• Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea Italica Group
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Approx. 60-90cm tall and 45-60cm wide (variety dependent)
• Growth Habit: Upright, branching stem with multiple lateral sprouting shoots
• Perfect For: Raised Beds, Allotments, Containers, Kitchen Gardens
• Foliage: Large, blue-green leaves with a central upright stem
• Harvesting Season: Late summer onwards, cut spears regularly to encourage continued cropping
• Planting Position: Full sun, sheltered from strong winds
• Soil Type: Well-drained, fertile soil, firmed well around the roots
• Hardiness: Hardy
• Type: Grow Your Own, Brassica