Broccoli - a Cut and Come Again Vegetable

Did you know that broccoli has more than one harvest? It is a truly abundant vegetable, one that you can cut and come again numerous times.

I planted this purple sprouting broccoli in autumn, and it has been doing its thing all winter. I’ve already been snipping away at the broccoli heads for the last few weeks, and it is continuing to supply me with a large quantity of stems.

All varieties of broccoli can be planted at any time of year, but planting in autumn reduces their susceptibility to cabbage white butterfly. (it’s actually the larfvae or caterpillars that do the damage) The Limestone Coast is canola country, so we have a LOT of cabbage white butterfly. If you’re having trouble keeping their pesky larvae at bay, then you can try using a cabbage dust or derris dust, but it does wash off when it gets wet. Again, not ideal in our wet region. Netting is of course, a great deterrent. Other than getting nibbled by tiny green caterpillars, broccoli doesn’t really suffer from any other pests and diseases. If you’re able to reduce the nibblie critters, then you’ll have an abundant crop that will supply your kitchen for months.

Today, I’ve dodged the torrential downpours we’ve been having lately (it’s the beginning of November Mother Nature - enough with the winter showers already!!) and have taken advantage of the abundance this amazing veg has given me.

This patch of broccoli is in its next flush of growth. I have long stems of purple sprouting broccoli, lush green leaves, and broccoli heads that have gone to flower. All of which is edible. Yes. Totally edible. Even the flowers! And they’re all delicious.

When it comes to harvesting, you can cut the stems and leaves wherever you like. Broccoli stems do get tough as they get older, but it snaps easily when you bend it, so discard the tough bit. I like to cut at least 30cm down from the top, so I get a good amount of stem. The plant will then reshoot itself from under these cuts and continue to grow.

You can harvest like this continually. You can cut and come again a dozen times, it will continue to grow. Does it ever stop? Yeah….. kinda. Pretty much when it starts to look scraggly, or when you’re completely over broccoli and you need the space for more important crops, like tomatoes. Then rip it out!

I’ve put together a YouTube video showing how my purple sprouting broccoli patch is going, how I harvested the crop, and a quick and delicious meal that highlights how amazing this vegetable truly is. Click on the link below.