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Piracicaba Broccoli
55 days to first harvest
Brassica oleracea
HEIRLOOM Extraordinary flavor is why we love Piracicaba Broccoli. (Okay, we love to say the name pee-ree-see-kah-bah, too!) Growing large heads of broccoli is consistently a challenge in our climate and over time we’ve realized that outstanding broccoli flavor is what we’re after more than the huge head of broccoli itself. Enter, Piracicaba: Her head production is minimal but her abundant, succulent side-shoots are sweet and tender enough for enjoying raw.
Perfect for the home garden, the entire plant is absolutely delicious from stem to leaf to floret and it continues to produce delicious side-shoots all season long. In fact, we are still enjoying them just before New Years 2016 as I write. If you want to harvest heads of broccoli, grow Calabrese. If you want to eat the most delicious broccoli-like vegetable we know of, grow Piracicaba.
Organic Piracicaba Broccoli
Planting Method: Transplant Only
When to sow: 3-4 weeks before last frost and again in early/mid-July; (Here in the Northeast, broccoli thrives in the warmth of late spring and early fall, struggling in the summer heat.)
Seed Depth: 1/4 inch Days to Germination: 4 days at 75°F; 7 days at 60°F
Sowing and seedling care: Sow 2 seeds per cell. Use row cover in spring after transplanting to protect from flea beetles.
When to transplant: When seedlings are 3-4 weeks old.
Transplant Spacing: 12-18 inches; 18-36 inches between rows Sun Needs: Full
Days to Harvest: 55
Height: 2.5 feet
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daviduhr –
This broccoli from Brazil has been incredibly beautiful and productive. Eschewing a large central head, the large plants with even larger leaves brought forth an abundance of sprouts that we have been picking for 6 weeks now and it appears we may continue for awhile yet. The best part of this broccoli is the wonderful sweet flavor and tenderness of the sprout stems, extending for 6 inches or so below the sprout. It has held up well in the heat of mid-summer as well so far, which makes sense considering it was developed in the tropics. Give these plants plenty of room when you set them as they do get big.
daviduhr –
UPDATE: Piracicaba produced well into summer with great quality spears, though size decreased. I fertilized and pruned late summer and even had a little fall production but would have been better off re-planting. Overall, a wonderful variety that handled cool spring and hot summer weather both.
AL –
Unfortunately I experienced low germination both in spring and fall, around 50%, which was disappointing for a packet of 30 Seeds. They were sown in the exact same batch of soil blocks as my other brassicas, which had no trouble germinating. The flavor is indeed exceptional.
Maddie –
We are grateful for you sharing your reflections with us and the Fruition community, and truly sorry to hear that you haven’t found abundance in this experience. Apologies that we are just now getting you a reply — we are responding to a backlog in product reviews, and iterating our teamwork to ensure we are consistently and quickly responding with care to reviews, now and in seasons to come. We appreciate your patience alongside your feedback!
Seeds are sensitive beings, and we love sharing some of the steps we take to try to provide seed that is ready to germinate: we flag for review any variety or seed lot that does not reach 90% in a germination test (although legal minimums for selling seed are sometimes as low as 45%!). Our tests are handled by a 3rd party that specializes in germination testing. The vast majority of our varieties never have any issue reaching that 90% threshold. If need be, we take care to re-winnow lots, or overpack packets to help provide the foundation for your garden to grow abundantly.
Surrounding you with beauty and abundance is why we do what we do– one way or another, we would love to see you find more delight this season! We have reached out to you directly by email to joyfully provide you with a coupon for a free packet of seed. Please feel free to read our Satisfaction Guarantee and email support@fruitionseeds.com should you wish to reach out any time in the future. Thanks for growing with us!
And p.s.! Friends, while we are on the subject, for anyone reading who may be finding similar challenges, we invite you to check out Petra’s Sowing and Growing series video on Broccoli.
stu –
No matter what I try it gets devastated by insects. Remay cover, shade cloth, nothing works.
Not worth the effort I am done trying.
Maddie –
We are grateful for you sharing your reflections with us and the Fruition community, and truly sorry to hear that you haven’t found abundance and delight in this experience. Apologies that we are just now getting you a reply — we are responding to a backlog in product reviews, and iterating our teamwork to ensure we are consistently and quickly responding with care to reviews, now and in seasons to come. We appreciate your patience alongside your feedback!
Surrounding you with beauty and abundance is why we do what we do– one way or another, we would love to see you find more delight this season! We have reached out to you directly by email to joyfully provide you with a coupon for a free packet of seed. Please feel free to read our Satisfaction Guarantee and email support@fruitionseeds.com should you wish to reach out any time in the future. Thanks for growing with us!
And p.s.! Friends, while we are on the subject, for anyone reading who may be finding similar challenges, we invite you to check out Petra’s Sowing and Growing series video on Broccoli. Jump to 44-56 minutes for tips on avoiding insect pests — including details on companion planting, sowing broccoli for fall (when flea beetles are dormant!) and more…