Plant · P-340

Broccoli

Brassica oleracea var italica

Broccoli's yield is the tight cluster of unopened flower buds at the tip of the stem, best cut while young and firm - once those buds start to open, the harvest window has passed. A side-shooting variety keeps producing smaller heads for weeks after the first cut, turning one plant into several harvests instead of one. It does best sown for a fall harvest, since a spring planting tends to race the seasonal warm-up and bolt or button before the heads size up.