Broccoli Marathon F1

'Marathon F1' Broccoli is a reliable, very adaptable RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. It forms attractive, densely packed blue-green heads that are perfect for freezing. This excellent quality, productive and disease-resistant variety is sown from April to June and harvested from July to October.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea italica) is a popular vegetable belonging to the large Brassicaceae family (ex-Cole family). This biennial plant is grown as an annual for its edible flower heads that are harvested just before they start to bloom. It is native to Southern Italy where it has been grown for human consumption since Roman times. Broccoli has a mild taste with just a hint of bitterness. It is delicious lightly steamed and added to gratins, quiches, purées or stews. From a nutritional point of view, it is remarkable: its energy value is low but it is very rich in vitamins A, C, B6 and B9; it also contains lots of fibre, potassium and iron.

Broccoli is an easy vegetable to grow as long as you meet its basic requirements: deep, rich soil, and regular watering. It enjoys plenty of sun and generally does well in cool and rainy climates.

Harvesting: Broccoli is harvested in two stages. First, remove the central flower head with a a sharp knife. Then leave the rest of the plant in place until the side shoots are ready to be harvested.

Storage: Fresh broccoli does not keep very well. It is best to eat it quickly after harvesting, although it will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. It is also possible to freeze it, after having blanched it in boiling salty water for a few minutes.

Good to know: For the past few years, swede midges (Contarinia nasturtii) have been causing considerable damage to brassica plants. We recommend protecting your crops with insect netting from mid-May to mid-July.

Even if the vegetable garden is first and foremost a place for growing great quality veg, it’s always a good idea to leave a bit of room for flowers. Growing flowers alongside your vegetable plants will make your general gardening experience more enjoyable and is a great way to attract pollinators and repel garden pests! Flowers such as gaillardia, marigolds, zinnias, cosmos or nasturtiums can be sown in and around the rows of vegetables. Herbs such as dill can be very useful also. Bear in mind that some companion plants self-seed easily and can be a bit invasive (borage, chives, lemon balm etc.)

NB: This variety is marked F1 for "F1 hybrid" meaning that its qualities are derived from carefully selected parent plants. This results in a variety that is both full of flavour and resistant to diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly assimilated to GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds have the advantage of producing reliable, uniform, disease resistant plants. Unfortunately, these qualities will not be passed on to following generations.