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Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
  • Piracicaba Broccolini
Piracicaba Broccolini

Brassica oleracea
$4.50
Description

We don't often recommend broccoli for our subtropical climate, especially for new gardeners who often struggle to get a successful crop for a variety of reasons. But we really love Piracicaba! Bred for heat tolerance in the steamy tropical town of Piracicaba, Brazil this variety is really spectacular and has become a local favorite.

A few plants have notably large central heads, but that's not what this variety is known for. It's the abundant side shoots, so it's more like a broccolini. The plants will continuously pump out tender, sweet side-shoots for an extended period, making it a powerhouse in the garden that will feed you for many months. Don't forget that you can also eat the tender and tasty leaves! Unlike standard broccoli, the florets don't crumble, don't get stuck in your teeth, and are not dry and chalky. 

Piracicaba holds up really well during our mild subtropical winters. When temperatures climb, they resist early bolting, unlike comparable hybrid broccolini types that quickly flower and go to seed as soon as it gets warm. 

We grew Piracicaba for two seasons before whole-heartedly recommending this for our local growers. We have found it to be the most sweet and tender tasting broccoli, and that includes the stems. The more open flower buds are tender and hold onto flavorings and oils when pan fried, creating the most delicious little flavor cups! Thanks to Chef Ashley Rella for experimenting with this and providing the photo!
Product details
  • About 100 seeds
  • 65 days
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at GROW HUB in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Broccoli does best in cooler weather, and this variety can easily handle the warm spells we often get during Florida winters. In North Florida, you can plant anytime from August through February.

Direct sow or transplant seedlings ¼ inch deep or less, with plants spaced about 12–18 inches apart. Brassicas are generally heavy feeders and will grow best in fertile, healthy soil. Add compost or other organic fertilizers as needed, keep the soil covered with a thick layer of leafy mulch, and water regularly during extended dry periods.

Be sure to harvest the leaves, they are just as tasty and can substitute for kale or collards. Once the first main head is harvested, the side-shoot party begins! You can harvest these as they develop, and more will follow.

If you eat a lot of this, consider succession planting—starting new seeds or transplants several times throughout the growing season. This keeps a steady supply of young, productive plants coming along as older plants begin to slow down.
How to save seeds

Brassicas are very easy to save seed from, but there’s a catch: they take a long time to mature for seed—up to 7 months! This is much longer than the quick harvest time we’re used to with their leafy greens. During this long growing period, plants still need regular care and can become more susceptible to insects and disease. Brassicas can also become very tall and heavy with seed pods, so staking may be necessary to keep plants upright and prevent them from flopping over.

Brassicas are highly out-crossing, meaning they naturally prefer to cross-pollinate with other plants rather than pollinating themselves. Having many plants flowering at the same time helps maintain good genetic diversity. While you can save seed from just a few plants for a season or two, consistently saving seed from a small population can lead to inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity over time, which can affect the health and resilience of your crop.

Brassicas within the same species can cross-pollinate if they are flowering at the same time. Brassica oleracea is a diverse group of vegetables to which broccoli belongs, and if you are growing more than one type and they flower at the same time, they will most certainly cross. This is only a concern if you are attempting to preserve a specific variety.

After flowering and pollination, small green seed pods will form and gradually swell, dry, and turn brown. Ideally, let the pods mature and dry on the plant for as long as possible, provided they aren’t getting excessively rained on or developing mold. If wet weather threatens your seed crop, harvest earlier by cutting the seed-bearing stems, or the entire plant, and bring them indoors to finish maturing and drying.

For long-term seed saving, we recommend having at least 20 plants flowering when you collect seed. More is even better! When growing specifically for seed, we often grow 80–200+ plants to maintain a broad and healthy gene pool.

If growing that many plants isn't practical for your garden, don't worry! You can simply let a few plants flower and provide a valuable food source for bees and other pollinators, then cut them back once they're finished flowering.

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