Harvesting calabrese
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Primrose
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It's the first time I've grown it. The central florets are almost ready for harvesting but there are no other florets on the plants. If I cut out these single florets, do others subsequently appear from the side shoots, or is it the end of the plant once the main shoot has been harvested?
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Geoff
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JB's the expert on this family, I guess he will reply later. Variety is the key to how many side shoots you get - the more highly bred (F1) the less likely to keep going I think - so do you remember the variety?
If you are intending to freeze some (not that brilliant a crop for freezing but better than wasting them) be aware caterpillars love to hide in them and seem to change to the same colour so are difficult to spot. Salty water soak might help.
If you are intending to freeze some (not that brilliant a crop for freezing but better than wasting them) be aware caterpillars love to hide in them and seem to change to the same colour so are difficult to spot. Salty water soak might help.
Hi Primrose,
Side shoots depend on the variety of Calabrese you are growing. I personally do not grow the F1's because I feel that in most varieties during the hybridizing the superb taste of the original went out the window and not all produce side shoots.
I grow Italian Green and Di Cicco which heads up a little later in August normally.
With these open pollinated varieties you pick the main spear and in about 4-6 weeks the plants are covered in side spears which have a simply wonderful taste and have a very long picking period.
I only grow Calabrese and the Spouting Broccoli's as they are good value for the space filled and the quantity of crop and gave up growing Cauliflowers many moons ago as poor value for space occupied. With the SB's you can have crops in every month of the year now since the introduction and the Summer varieties and these make a very welcome break from eating Beans much as I adore runners day in day out for weeks can be a bit more than monotonous.
So Primrose if you can tell me the variety that you are growing I will try my damndest to give you the answer you want to hear.
JB.
Side shoots depend on the variety of Calabrese you are growing. I personally do not grow the F1's because I feel that in most varieties during the hybridizing the superb taste of the original went out the window and not all produce side shoots.
I grow Italian Green and Di Cicco which heads up a little later in August normally.
With these open pollinated varieties you pick the main spear and in about 4-6 weeks the plants are covered in side spears which have a simply wonderful taste and have a very long picking period.
I only grow Calabrese and the Spouting Broccoli's as they are good value for the space filled and the quantity of crop and gave up growing Cauliflowers many moons ago as poor value for space occupied. With the SB's you can have crops in every month of the year now since the introduction and the Summer varieties and these make a very welcome break from eating Beans much as I adore runners day in day out for weeks can be a bit more than monotonous.
So Primrose if you can tell me the variety that you are growing I will try my damndest to give you the answer you want to hear.
JB.
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Primrose
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I seem to recall they were Mr Fothergills seeds but I've now thrown the packet away because itwas rather elderly and I'm trying to be more displined about not keeping seeds for yonks because I suspect this may be causing some of my germination failure problems. The only green calabrese shown on their website is F1 Lucky so this may be the variety Im currently growing.