Guide to Growing Calabrese

• There is confusion between what is calabrese and what is broccoli: calabrese produces its crop the same year, before winter (broccoli is an overwintered crop).
• Calabrese has a milder flavour than broccoli and is easier to grow.
• Suitable for close spacing and container growing, as long as you chose the right varieties.

Sowing and Growing

• Calabrese is a brassica and the general brassica growing instructions apply.
• Sow in early spring, under glass. Calabrese does not like root disturbance, so start it off in modules and then move it into pots before final planting out in June–July.
• Space 45–60 cm each way between plants, depending on the variety.
• If you're growing one of the smaller varieties in a pot or closely spaced, Kabuki needs a final spacing of 30 cm (12 inches) and Sakura at least 45 cm (18 inches).

Harvesting

• The above sowing/planting out schedule will provide crops from August to October.
• With some varieties, cutting the spears and leaving the plant in the ground will produce a second flush of smaller spears.

Pests and Problems

• Clubroot can be a problem: read the article on coping with clubroot.

Varieties

• Belstar F1 can be successionally sown between April and June, for harvesting through the autumn and produces a good second crop of side shoots.
• Fiesta F1 is later, sown in mid-May to June, and cropping later.
• Sakura Speedy is fast maturing (70–80 days), early variety, sown from February for harvesting mid-July to September.
• Chevalier starts cropping in September and produces a good second crop.
• The best varieties for close spacing and growing in pots are Kabuki and Sakura, although they still need a fair bit of space.

Eating

• Steaming retains flavour and texture and the small spears can be stir-fried.
• The thicker stalks are great for soup.
• There have been a number of studies that suggest broccoli and calabrese can help protect against cancer. They contain a chemical called sulphoraphane which helps neutralise cancer-causing substances found in the gut and can help against colon cancer (one of the larger cancer killers in the UK).
• Broccoli and calabrese also contain a compound called I3C that helps boost production of BRCA proteins: these are helpful against some forms of cancer including breast, ovarian and prostrate cancers.