PLANT PURPLE-SPROUTING BROCCOLI Beg, borrow, steal or even buy plants of purple-sprouting broccoli. This is a vegetable you rarely see in supermarkets or greengrocers, and when you do, it is often sad and limp. You must grow your own to experience the nutty, sweet flavour - a taste to rival that of fresh asparagus.
Some varieties crop as early as January, but most can be harvested from mid-February onward. Plants should be spaced around 60 centimetres apart in good soil. They may need some support as they grow larger, to prevent leaning and wind-rock. Vegetable expert Joy Larkcom recommends that in very light soil the plants should be placed in shallow furrows, 10 centimetres deep. As they grow, the furrow should be filled in, and the stem gradually earthed up. This helps stabilise the plant, and encourages secondary roots to grow, which can help it cope with attacks from carrot root fly.