So Long Purple Sprouting Broccoli

This is what I was hoping for—purple sprouting broccoli gracing my garden and my table. But it was not to be this year. Raccoon damage to my brassicas took out all but one of the plants that I had hopes for.

These are my memories from 2013—purple sprouting broccoli and flowering parsley.

The PSB plants grow very large in my garden some years I have relegated them to 15 gallon pots with some success. But overall, only about a third of the plants in beds or containers produce sprouts. That’s too low for me to commit garden real estate to even the favored PSB. So I quit growing them until this season when I saw transplants in the nursery. I was tempted by all the British garden bloggers I follow that seem to grow them effortlessly. You can read more about PSB on the Specialty Produce website.

I let the remaining PSB plant persist until now for its beauty and vigor; and I remained hopeful, looking frequently for emerging sprouts. But likely the failure of the plant to produce sprouts is due to inadequate vernalization. Translation: plants require several weeks of cold temperatures to induce budding. 

I learned that ‘Santee’ has a lower vernalization threshold—it requires fewer cumulative hours below 50 degrees F and is recommended for mild winter areas. Read the tech sheet from Johnny Seeds here. I suspect I was not growing ‘Santee’.

As the weather warmed the dreaded gray aphids showed up and the purple sprouting broccoli plant was the garden reservoir for them. My kale, second planting of broccoli and red cabbage have escaped them though are only about four feet away. The PSB plant had to go.

I saved the large leaves without aphids for these little guys.

Happy endings for this season and in August I’ll be growing ‘Santee’ PSB from seed.

Check out my Related Posts below to read more about my growing experience with PSB.