When to sow Purple sprouting broccoli in the UK
Purple sprouting broccoli is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Purple sprouting broccoli is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant's timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| South Coast and Channel | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| South East and Home Counties | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| East Anglia | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Wales and West Coast | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Northern England | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Northern Ireland | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to late April | early April to late June | late May to late August | late November to early May |
Growing notes
Sown in spring and planted out by late summer, this stands all winter and is picked the FOLLOWING season, with early varieties from December and the main crop from February to April. Earth up and stake the tall stems before autumn gales, and net against pigeons.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 60 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 60 cm
- Plants per m²
- 3
- Days to maturity
- 300 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.6 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 35 cm
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- clubroot
- cabbage white caterpillars
- cabbage root fly
- pigeons
- wind rock
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for purple sprouting broccoli.