PSB- May I ask why?

[Jessiebean]

Please don't think I am being impertinent but why grow purple sprouting broccoli when you can get varieties that mature in less than 1/4 the time? I am most puzzled!

[Millymollymandy]

Two reasons from me:

1. It tastes quite different from regular brocolli, much much nicer in my opinion and I can and do eat it every day!

2. I can't grow any brassicas during the summer months (including radishes) because I have a bad flea beetle problem. I can plant brassicas out from August onwards as the problem seems to die down about September onwards and the brassicas if raised elsewhere are able to withstand a few weeks of being munched.

3. Oh and 3. Because there's nothing else to eat from the veg patch in March/April.

Anyway none this year cos they've all karked it in the cold weather.

[Green Aura]

Yup, definitely a hungry gap fare of some standing! So delicious and when pretty much the only other thing that lasts that long is kale it makes a nice change.

I know what you mean though, I remember my Dad used to be really cross when my mother planted some psb every yea.r "It takes up too much space and takes a whole year to grow" he'd say every time. Come April he'd sit with butter running down his chin - his favourite way of eating it was like asparagus, relishing every mouthful.

Having said that I have, as I write got some "tendergreen broccoli" actually a raab(?), which is trying to break out of the propogator. I'm looking forward to that - at this rate it'll be pickable in the hungry gap from a february sowing. In the polytunnel though.

[grahamhobbs]

Yes I tend to agree about PSB taking up too much room, so this year I'm trying calabrese over wintered in the polytunnel to provide pickings in March / April. I planted them out in the polytunnel about 2" high in November and the first one is just about ready to pick, although the head is very small. Hoping that I will get further spears to follow as the weather improves throughout March and April at least, if not longer.
My summer calabrese produced pickings from July right thro' to Xmas.

[red]

we grow PSB and calabrese

PSB is an easy crop (apart from maybe in bad snow years!) and one of the hungry gap veg. i personally prefer it to calabrese

also it produces spurs outside of the caterpillar season, so you dont eat any unwanted protein!

[Squirrel46]

When I took on an extra bit of plot last year it had psb on it and not much else. I remember early in the season it was decimated by blackfly, but it flowered before Christmas! I've since eaten the lot, but my own look as though they might flower next month and yes, they are taking up room where I would like to plant carrots soon!
Never tried wsb, some plotters say it tastes better!

[red]

my psb is struggling this year.. normally would have eaten it by now.. but the snow knocked it back big time

we do two varieties.. one called Rudolph - which yes. we pick on Christmas day

[Millymollymandy]

I've tried WSB (white?) which is a summer cropper but maybe it is better for cool climates as mine didn't send out any spears, just started flowering on stumpy bits and there was absolutely nothing to pick to eat.

My PSB doesn't start producing spears until late March, then we went on hols in mid April and when we came back it was over! Still we ate tons of it and like Maggie's Dad I love eating it like asparagus.

Do you guys in the UK see it much in the shops for sale? It seemed to go out of fashion didn't it, I remember it and spring greens being widely available in the spring when I was a kid/teenager but then it seemed to get forgotten about until I found some in M&S many years later and it reminded me how much I loved it. That was in about 1994 and then I never got to eat it again until I grew it last year. Tried when I lived near Geneva and although it withstood a much harsher winter than anything we get here, it gets hot there too suddenly and it went to seed before producing much at all in the way of spears (much like the white summer version here). So that's why I can't understand why it karked it this winter cos normally it can take cold weather.

[Mrs Moustoir]

I tried the white sprouting stuff as well last year and it didn't come to anything. Like you MMM, we suffer with flea beetle. even now there are telltale holes appearing on the leaves on our little turnips.

But PSB - it just tastes so good when freshly picked. Ours went on from mid March '09 for weeks. I was giving it away and leaving punnets of it on neighbours' doorsteps as we just couldn't keep up with it! Don't think it will be half as good this year though.

And the kids like it - which is always a bonus

[Green Aura]

Anyone tried the nine-star perennial?

We grew it a long time ago - just one plant. Very very tasty but tiny. The problem was before you got enough to pick it was starting to go to flower, so you obviously need more than one plant. But they take up so much space that unless you got a huge garden it's not feasible and you had to watch them virtually every day to make sure they didn't flower cos that's the end of your perennial plant.

I wonder why they're not more popular

[Jessiebean]

hmm I see. I must away to another forum where there are more Taswegians to see if it is worth my while growing here. I may have to pull up some more concrete to give it it's own space though!

[pelmetman]

Growing purple sprouting was one of my very few vegetable successes until this year, as the pigeons have found it

But more importantly it tastes great especially fresh from the garden, as with a lot of veg it starts to lose a lot of it's flavour once picked. I prefer it to that big green stuff calabrese

[Squirrel46]

Growing purple sprouting was one of my very few vegetable successes until this year, as the pigeons have found it

But more importantly it tastes great especially fresh from the garden, as with a lot of veg it starts to lose a lot of it's flavour once picked. I prefer it to that big green stuff calabrese

The pigeons are staying off my plot, perhaps its Julian....

or maybe maybe my catapult!

[Millymollymandy]

Oh I like Julian!

[pumpy]

Our psb always seems to be a bit late developing, usually March/April time, (probably 'cos we're near the east coast). But you can't beat it fresh picked, even tho' it does tend to stink the kitchen out while cooking! Luckily it seems to have survived the winter, & the plants are starting to produce loads of spears now.