Amateur Gardening – 20 July 2019

20 JULY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 23

The Award of Garden Merit is a mark of quality

awarded since 1922 to garden plants (including trees, vegetables and

decorative plants) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

Broccoli ‘Ironman’

Consistently high quality, nicely domed,

tightly packed heads with bluish tints.

A reliable cropper that has become

the standard commercial variety. Good

in many conditions and planted at tight

spacings. Crops: Jul-Oct.

Sprouting broccoli ‘Red Admiral’

Produces a large number of medium-

sized, deep purple spears; never stringy,

they have a lovely flavour. The best of

the early types and the first of the

improved modern purple sprouting

varieties. Crops: Nov-Jan.

Sprouting broccoli ‘Cardinal’

Excellent for spring picking. Supplies a

generous crop of mid-purple spears with

an especially fine flavour, ready when

there are few other fresh crops available.

The best of the older, more economical

types. Crops: Mar-May.

Sprouting broccoli ‘Red Fire’

Produces larger-than-average heads

in an attractive, bright rich purple.

Upright plants with an open habit

allow for easier picking, and plants

tend to crop in flushes. Good in the

coldest climates. Crops: Jan-Mar.

Broccoli ‘Kabuki’

Shorter growing than most, very

quick to mature and excellent for

planting at tight spacing. This variety

also produces a good crop of small

side shoots after the main head has

been cut. Crops: Jun-Nov.

Personally, I would always take

sprouting over regular broccoli. The

former is seen far less often in the

shops (and costs more) because it’s

more labour intensive to pick and pack.

So go on, try some. Outdoor fresh veg

in the middle of winter? That’s got to

be worth a go...

Earliness to maturity

Size of the primary heads

Ability to last when mature

Quality of the primary heads

What makes a good broccoli?

Broccoli ‘Green Magic’

Produces large, very tightly packed,

blue-green heads. One of the most

dependable varieties for producing

smaller side shoots after the main head

has been cut. Some valuable disease

resistance, too. Crops: Aug-Oct.

Mr Fothergill’s Mr Fothergill’s DT Brown

Suttons Marshalls

Quality of the secondary spears

Growth habit

Uniformity

Hardiness