seasonal veg | Baldock Allotment Association

No allotment is complete without rhubarb; indeed almost every plot seems to have a crown sprouting in a corner! One of the exciting things about rhubarb is seeing it starting to regrow in early spring.

Rhubarb is a relatively easy crop to grow as it needs little attention other than a good covering of manure over the winter to feed the crown whilst it is dormant.

Like any perennial crop, newly planted crowns should not be harvested in the first year and sparingly in the second. Thereafter stalks can be harvested by twisting and pulling at the base, taking care not to damage the crown.

Stalks can be harvested until June in most cases, so long as the plant isn’t over harvested.

By the time March comes around allotment folk are starting to reach the hunger gap, that time when the harvests of last year’s season are dwindling and the promise of this year’s harvest is some time off still.

Enter purple sprouting broccoli!

This delicious brassica needs a long growing season but it rewards you with wonderful tender stems with small floret heads and I much prefer it to regular broccoli (calabrese). It is often sold as a ‘luxury’ vegetable in supermarkets, attracting a luxury price tag!

The seeds are sown in late spring and once growing the plants need little attention other than perhaps staking and protection from the dreaded cabbage white butterfly.

When it is harvest time, usually in March, harvest the main floret head first as this will encourage more side shoots and therefore more floret stems! Cut the stems regularly to encourage more to harvest.

Not seen so often is white sprouting broccoli which has a more delicate flavour.

Tag: seasonal veg

What’s in Season – Rhubarb

What’s in Season – Purple Sprouting Broccoli