Broccoli

Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli has been selected for its hardiness and flavour. Heavy cropping it has good quality spears that can be harvested over many weeks. It is one of the most flavoursome of vegetables, standing beside asparagus and globe artichokes. Sweet and delicate, it melts in the mouth.

Extra-Early Purple Sprouting 'Rudolph' is bred to perform well in the September to February period but is at its best from November to February. With medium to large, deep purple, succulent spears that have outstanding flavour, team with Cardinal for a longer harvest period.

This lovely, old fashioned Broccoli variety is a very disease resistant, very hardy and very prolific producer of large dark green heads. Italian Green Sprouting Broccoli is very easy to grow and will produce a number of good-size side shoots once the initial head is harvested.

Kailan is a fantastic vegetable chimera - the florets of broccoli, the stems of asparagus, and leaves like tender collard greens. 'Kichi' is a uniform variety with large blue green waxy leaves and excellent stem and bud eating quality. It has a mild flavour and, best of all can be harvested in only eight weeks.

Broccoli 'Summer Purple' is an excellent summer cropping variety that is sown in spring to harvest late June to October. Eaten within an hour of picking, when still bursting with sappy natural sugars, it's exquisite.

Flourishing famously in Mediterranean and Chinese cultures, elsewhere Raab is still a bit of a curiosity. Easy and fast growing, it can be useful as it comes ready when ordinary broccoli isn't available, but this isn't just a replacement for broccoli, it is a great vegetable in its own right.

Calabrese 'Green Belt F1' is currently number one among early varieties due to its excellent fine grain and its ability to produce abundant shoots. With a wide adaptability, it produces sturdy plants that grow well in almost any soil and under any conditions, and will withstand the heat discreetly during the summer season.

A vast improvement on the older varieties. Calabrese Ironman F1 possesses the usual advantages of a hybrid - vigorous habit with excellent uniformity and high yields of larger than normal heads. Producing excellent quality, uniform dense heads and a very good dome shape. Harvest late June to November.