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Baby broccoli
Product information
€ 4,69
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Description
A compact broccoli variety that fits in one square. It crops sooner and for longer than ordinary broccoli, with a mild flavour.
Specifications
Sowing time: March to June
Height: 40 to 60 cm
Contents: 10 seeds
Height: 40 to 60 cm
Contents: 10 seeds
In the app
Level 1
seeds are sown
Level 2
seedling visible
Level 3
one seedling
Level 4
little plant
Level 5
medium plant
Level 6
middelgrote plant
Level 7
first harvest
Level 8
harvesting shoots
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- The app helps you with almost everything you do in your vegetable garden: sowing, tending, and harvesting.
- If something goes wrong, the app tells you what steps to take.
- If that doesn’t work, you can ask us for advice.
- If that still doesn’t help, we’ll look for other solutions together. Until we get it right.
More about our baby broccoli
This compact broccoli is a cross between stem broccoli and Chinese broccoli (kailan). It forms a compact plant that fits in one square. It crops sooner and for longer than ordinary broccoli, and the flavour is milder.
- Variety name: Sprouting broccoli Montebello F1
- Family: brassicas
- Plants per square: 1
- Height: 40 to 60 cm, in the back row or just in front of a trellis
- Sowing time: March to June
- Sowing depth: 1 cm
- Germination: 7 to 14 days at 10 to 25 degrees C
- Time to harvest: from about 12 weeks
- Position: sun or partial shade
- Packet contents: 10 seeds, enough for 5+ squares
- Yield per square: 1 medium head and about 200 g of shoots
The first head is ready after a few months. After that, the plant keeps making new edible side shoots well into autumn, so you can harvest from it for a long time.
Note: the packet says to start the seeds indoors in March. You can do that, and it helps the seeds germinate faster, but it is not strictly necessary. Once the seedling has appeared, move the pot outside or into a cold greenhouse as soon as possible. That keeps the plant sturdy. The steps in the app skip indoor pre-sowing.
Note: the packet says to start the seeds indoors in March. You can do that, and it helps the seeds germinate faster, but it is not strictly necessary. Once the seedling has appeared, move the pot outside or into a cold greenhouse as soon as possible. That keeps the plant sturdy. The steps in the app skip indoor pre-sowing.
How do you sow and grow baby broccoli?
The Makkelijke Moestuin app guides you step by step through sowing, growing, and harvesting this variety.
Loosen the mix in a square in the third or back row of the garden box and make it moist. Then sow as follows:
- make 1 hole in the middle of the square, no deeper than 1 cm
- place 2 seeds in the hole
- carefully close the hole again
Depending on the weather and the time of year, small seedlings should appear after 5 to 12 days.
Note: the packet says to start indoors if you sow in March, but outdoor sowing also works well in March.
Note: the packet says to start indoors if you sow in March, but outdoor sowing also works well in March.
Once the first seedling appears, things are going well. The other seeds often follow quickly.
A few days later it is time to thin them out. Keep the strongest seedling and cut away the other one. It can feel harsh, but it gives the plant enough room to grow well.
Watch out for slugs too, because they love young brassica seedlings. About three weeks after sowing, your plant should look roughly like this:
A few days later it is time to thin them out. Keep the strongest seedling and cut away the other one. It can feel harsh, but it gives the plant enough room to grow well.
Watch out for slugs too, because they love young brassica seedlings. About three weeks after sowing, your plant should look roughly like this:
Baby broccoli is fairly easy to care for: water regularly, remove weeds straight away, and take away any yellow or dead leaves.
You do need to protect the plant from slugs and cabbage white butterflies. Slugs love young brassica plants, and cabbage white caterpillars can quickly eat large holes in the leaves.
Give the plant some support with a small stick so it does not fall over.
Later, when the first flower head appears, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of extra MM plant food around the base of the plant. That helps it keep making new shoots after the first harvest.
You do need to protect the plant from slugs and cabbage white butterflies. Slugs love young brassica plants, and cabbage white caterpillars can quickly eat large holes in the leaves.
Give the plant some support with a small stick so it does not fall over.
Later, when the first flower head appears, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of extra MM plant food around the base of the plant. That helps it keep making new shoots after the first harvest.
About 12 weeks after sowing, you can harvest the first head. This is the largest one, usually around 10 to 20 cm.
The head is really a cluster of flower buds, so harvest it before the buds open.
Cut the main stem with a sharp knife just below the head. The cleaner the cut, the better, because it helps prevent the stem from rotting.
The head is really a cluster of flower buds, so harvest it before the buds open.
Cut the main stem with a sharp knife just below the head. The cleaner the cut, the better, because it helps prevent the stem from rotting.
A few weeks later, side shoots will appear.
These produce smaller flower buds. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 to 15 cm long, again before they start flowering. Cut them close to the main stem. You can eat the shoots themselves too.
If you keep harvesting the side shoots, the plant will keep making new ones until well into October.
These produce smaller flower buds. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 to 15 cm long, again before they start flowering. Cut them close to the main stem. You can eat the shoots themselves too.
If you keep harvesting the side shoots, the plant will keep making new ones until well into October.
What do you need?
Besides the seeds, you need:
- one square in a garden box
- MM-Mix
- a spot with at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day
- a bamboo stick to support the mature plant
- MM plant food for during growth
Is baby broccoli healthy?
Broccoli is a nutritious vegetable. It contains fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and several minerals, and it is a useful part of a varied diet.
Baby broccoli gives you the same kind of fresh green harvest as ordinary broccoli, but from a compact plant that fits well in a square.
In short: it is tasty, versatile, and a good way to add more green vegetables to your meals.
Baby broccoli gives you the same kind of fresh green harvest as ordinary broccoli, but from a compact plant that fits well in a square.
In short: it is tasty, versatile, and a good way to add more green vegetables to your meals.
What can you use baby broccoli for?
Use the first head just like ordinary broccoli: boil it, steam it, stir-fry it, turn it into soup, or add it raw to green smoothies.
The side shoots are edible too: the small heads, stems, and leaves. You can boil or steam them, but they are especially good briefly stir-fried.
The side shoots are edible too: the small heads, stems, and leaves. You can boil or steam them, but they are especially good briefly stir-fried.
Some variety names include F1. That means the seeds are hybrid seeds: the result of careful plant breeding.
F1 varieties are often extra reliable, productive, or resistant to certain problems. The only downside is that you cannot save their seeds and expect the next generation to stay the same.
Want to know more? Read: what does F1 mean on seed packets?