PURPLE PEACOCK BROCCOLI

Brassica oleracea

ORGANIC

This crazy gorgeous amalgamation of broccoli and kale is just delightfully bananas and actually delicious. Unsurprisingly bred by Frank Morton, Purple Peacock Broccoli is shockingly beautiful and sweet in the autumn and early winter, but perfectly yummy and worth growing for its tasty prolific buds and stems in the spring and summer. Every part of this plant is edible, but the tender stems are my favorite and totally appropriate for impromptu garden crudite.

Start seeds indoors several weeks before the last frost: sow seeds just below surface of moist soil; press gently and mist generously with warm water; kept warm (70F) and moist in bright light, seeds will germinate within a week or two. Prick out and transplant to individual containers when seedlings have true leaves. Grow on in cool temperatures and bright light, keeping well-watered, and giving a weekly dose of dilute fish-based fertilizer. Seedlings will tolerate only light frost and are best planted outdoors into well-amended garden soil no sooner than two weeks before the average last frost in spring and about four weeks before the first frost in autumn.

Highly recommended, even for broccoli-shy gardeners.

Packet contains 50 seeds.