Topic: purple sprouting broccoli already

[happy larry]

Hi all i am new to this wonderful forum i have been lurking in the shadows and thought it was time i became a member.Please forgive my 2 pronged post as i couldnt find a place to introduce myself.I live in Burton on Trent,dont have an allotment just grow fruit and veg in the garden and polytunnel.Question is as header has any one started eating there spring sown psb,i set seed (dec cropper)in march then planted in final growing position about the end of april.I have been giving said plants a feed of liquid manure (chicken muck) and keeping well watered,now im not complaining but about 3 weeks ago i noticed a crown of broccoli forming in the centre of each plant,so cut and ate them thus encouraging the side shoots.Can anyone explain why it is cropping so early,and is anyone else in the same situation,as i said im not complaining as it so nice to eat.And i have set another load of seeds for a winter/spring crop.Thanks for reading Paul

[Old bird]

Hi happy Larry

I would think - and on brassicas and the like I am no expert - that it is the unusual year that we are having weatherwise!

Welcome to the site - wish I could have my polytunnel at home there would be so many more possibilities for me!!

Old Bird
 ;D

[manicscousers]

Hiya, happy larry,welcome to the site  ;D
 sounds more like calabrese, what colour is it?

[Digeroo]

Welcome to A4A Happy larry.  No need to lurk any more ;D

There is a summer purple sprouting broccoli.  Perhaps the wrong seed was in the packet.  But it is a strange year and someone I know is eating their autumn cauli right now.   I certainly had some calebrese mixed in a packet of sprouts.  Very nice they are too best heads ever. 

I also have some old PSB plants I cut back and left as a kind of hedge against the invasion of Muntjac deer and they have suddenly decided it is time to sprout again.  I thought the deer might eat the old plants rather than the new.    Actually they prefer strawberry leaves.

[1066]

I can't answer your question but can say hello and welcome to A4A  ;D

[Jeannine]

Hi, there is a post for newbies to check min.go to the section marked shed and it is at the top XX Jeannine

[happy larry]

Thanks to all for the welcome(sorry Jeanine ti's done now)
manicscousers,it isn't calabrese,its purple.looks and tastes the same as the psb i was cropping in the spring.
oldbird,I'm not sure if its down to the unusual weather,but who knows eh.
Digeroo,my original thought was a mix up in seeds,but my seeds came from a friend that planted the same seed roughly the same time as me but his are not as well advanced as mine.As soon as i get chance il post some pics up

[pigeonseed]

Is it too late to start some winter PSB off now? Mine's only still pretty small. (Mind you it's my first year, so I don;t know whether that's ok or not!)

[Pescador]

Had the same problem last year, and so did quite a few others on the same lottie site.
We weren't all growing the same variety, so rules that out, and rules out contaminated seed as well.
hasn't happened this year, yet!!