Description
Lieutenant – matures in 55 to 65 days, heads are 6-8″ inches across, and grow 18-26″ inches tall – space 18″ inches apart
Harvest – judge by tightness, not overall head size, those homegrown are smaller than those sold from supermarket. Harvest before buds crack open, stem and buds lose their appealing texture becoming mealy even woody. Cut just below heads, buds along stems and side shoots will form smaller heads perfect for salads and stir fries.
Cymosa Group – includes broccoli which like cauliflowers, are grown for their densely massed flowered buds and fleshy stalks, but the buds are further advanced and are not pure white but green, purplish or yellow-green, purplish or yellow-green.‘Broccoli’ is Italian, coming from brocco, ‘sprout’ – and it was Italy that nearly all the different types of the vegetable evolved. Calabrese is the common type with broad, fleshy green or purplish heads maturing in summer.
‘De Cicco’ – is a pale green early maturing cultivar
‘Waltham 29′ – is also popular
Romanesco broccolis are more cauliflower like in both appearance and flavor, with tight hemispherical heads consisting of many neat conical points, maturing later than Calabrese, usually pale yellow green in color,, they are very decorative.Sprouting broccoli is different again, with many narrow-headed buds on long asparagus like stalks, appearing among the leaves they develop over winter and can be picked over a long season in spring and early summer
‘Italian Green Sprouting’ – is the best known variety.All broccoli is best picked and eaten when young because once the yellow flowers begin to open it becomes coarse in both textured and flavor.It is ideally grown in raised beds.Do not allow the plant to flowers as it will stop growing.Grub and waterlogging are 2 major problems
