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Annual Biennial

Brassica oleracea (Italica Group) 'Red Arrow'

broccoli (purple sprouting) 'Red Arrow'

Purple-sprouting broccoli to 90cm tall with good yields of purple florets flushed red, and excellent overall spear quality, with long season cropping.

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

1 year

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Brassicaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Brassicas can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, most are upright with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped, yellow or white flowers. The genus includes a number of species bred to produce food crops, such as cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape, as well as others grown for their ornamental value
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil to avoid winter waterlogging, in full sun with shelter from winds that may rock tall stems out of the ground. Space plants 60cm (24in) apart in both directions, and support the stems with stakes once they are tall enough. Water well during dry spells to keep soil moist and help avoid bolting. See broccoli cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Pruning

Plants produce a number of small shoots and flowerheads which should be picked regularly over a long period, not all at once, to ensure a supply of shoots; cut stems once they are 15–20cm (6–8in) long, before the flower buds open, harvesting the top 8–10cm (3–4in)

Pests

May be susceptible to cabbage root fly, caterpillars, cabbage whitefly and mealy cabbage aphid

Diseases

May be susceptible to club root, brassica downy mildew, brassica white blister and powdery mildews

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