Calabrese are part of the Brassica family. This means they hate acid soil and unless your soil is alkaline it must be treated with lime when being prepared. The second important point is that the young plants must be planted out in firm soil otherwise the "heads" will not form properly.

Where & When to Grow

Broccoli (Calabrese) need rich soil in a sunny location that has been limed if necessary. The ground should be prepared two weeks before planting by treading down to firm it and then lightly raked and a general fertilizer applied. The plants should be spaced at 1’ intervals in rows and set firmly slightly deeper than they grew as seedlings

How to Grow

Hoe regularly around the plants to keep the weeds down and they will benefit if a fine mesh net is used to cover them to avoid attacks by birds and butterflies who lay their eggs on the leaves so that the emerging caterpillars can use them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Harvesting

Calabrese are ready to harvest when the central "head" is large enough and BEFORE the "head" shows any colour of the yellow flowers that form the "head" Cutting the central head should encourage smaller "heads" to form as side shoots which again must be cut before the flowers show colour. If the "heads" flower then the taste is lost and the production of new "heads" will stop.