Who knew that growing broccoli could actually be fun?! Delicious, yes; rewarding, certainly. But until now, not really enjoyable. But Artwork Hybrid is out to change that, with its unique growth habit and extra-long season of harvest.
This award-winning variety begins as an ordinary crown broccoli -- the big "headed" type we all grew up eating -- but once you cut or pinch off the central crown, long side-shoots begin to arise, packed with succulent flavor. Cut them at anywhere from 6 to 8 inches long and new ones will spring up to replace them. Before you know it, you've harvested up to 20 gourmet "sweet stem" broccoli shoots, and Artwork is the last broccoli in the garden still producing!
The secret to getting the most out of Artwork is to get rid of that central crown quickly. Cut it for eating when it's just an inch or so in diameter, or pinch it away even sooner if you don't need to harvest it. As soon as you do, the side-shoots begin to take off. Expect the first ones to be ready for harvest about 10 days after you've removed the central crown. Cut them promptly, and get ready to watch their replacements appear!
Many broccoli are better suited to crowning than to side shoot production because they tend to bolt (begin flowering) in hot weather -- and hot weather is exactly what most of us have all summer long in the garden! Artwork, on the other hand, is very bolt-resistant, keeping its tight beads even when the temperature climbs. This gives you many more weeks of production . . . and means that new side-shoots can arise even in late summer, when other sweet stem broccoli varieties are done.
Artwork reaches about 8 inches wide and can top out at close to 2 feet, depending on how tall you let it grow. It has a tender texture right to the base of the stem, and richly flavored beads that top the stems like icing on the cake! Expect 10 to 20 side-shoots from every plant, plus the central crown. That's a lot of gourmet deliciousness from a single plant!
Winner of a 2015 All-America Selection award, Artwork is ready to take off in your garden. Sow the seeds of this cool-season crop directly, or transplant the seedlings into the garden when they have 4 true leaves (about 8 weeks from germinating). Before planting, prepare the soil well, adding nitrogen if necessary and neutralizing heavily alkaline or acid soils. For spring crops, start seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before last frost date, then set out when the soil is warm enough to work. If planting in fall, start 10 to 12 weeks before first frost date. Space seeds or transplants 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. Pkt is 100 seeds.
If you want vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and nutrients as well as delicious flavors and beautiful, eye-catching colors, look no further than our numerous varieties of Broccoli and Cauliflower! These really are“super-veggies”, packing a healthy punch in every scrumptious bite, offering heavy yields so you'll have plenty of fresh produce for every meal, and proving hardy and versatile enough to satisfy everyone!
Choosing a Broccoli or Cauliflower Variety
All Broccoli and Cauliflower are packed with vitamins and nutrients, so when choosing what varieties to grow, you'll base your decision mostly on size and color. There are several compact types that don't require a lot of space, so they're the best choice for a limited gardening area. Heat tolerance is also a factor, especially for those living in the south. And if you're wanting to get your children to eat more healthy veggies, you might want to look at the more colorful, fun varieties!
When to Start Broccoli and Cauliflower
Broccoli seeds are best started indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last frost, at a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees F. They can also be sown outdoors 2 weeks before the last frost. For a winter crop in zones 8 and warmer, sow in late summer. Expect germination in 10 to 14 days.
The same guidelines apply to Cauliflower, except when starting indoors, sow your seeds 5 to 7 weeks before the last frost. Expect germination in 8 to 10 days.
Since Cauliflower is more sensitive to cold than its cabbage-family relatives, you need to start it early enough that it has a chance to mature before the heat of the summer. Be careful, however, not to start it so early it gets damaged by the cold.
How to Start Broccoli and Cauliflower
Sow your Broccoli and Cauliflower seeds at a depth of 4 times the size of the seed, or ½ inch deep, and water thoroughly. Once the seeds have sprouted, be sure to keep the soil lightly moist.
Make sure the plants receive plenty of light -- fluorescent light for around 14 to 16 hours a day is also ideal for the fastest growth. You will want to keep the seedlings just a few inches below the light so they don't“stretch”and get“leggy". If you don't have fluorescent lighting, a south-facing window will do just fine.
Broccoli -- 45 to 60 days from sowing to harvesting
Cauliflower -- 30 to 80 days from sowing to harvesting
Transplanting Broccoli and Cauliflower Seedlings
Transplant your Broccoli and Cauliflower seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. This should be done about 2 weeks before the last frost. Site them in full sun in a rich, moist, well-drained soil, spacing the young plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows that are 2½ to 3 feet apart. Feed both your Broccoli and Cauliflower with a low nitrogen fertilizer when first planting out. For your Broccoli, fertilize again when the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, 12 to 15 inches tall, and then when the buds first form. For your Cauliflower, fertilize again every 4 weeks. Keep the seedlings well watered and mulched to retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
Special Considerations
If your seedlings have been held too long or mistreated in some way before planting, they can create“buttons”, or small heads, that tend to flower prematurely.
Climatic elements such as extreme cold and drought can cause your plants to halt their full growth and form only “buttons”.
Don't allow your transplants to get too mature before moving them to your garden. If you do, they may become stressed by transplant shock.
A starter fertilizer applied when you transplant your seedlings will get your Broccoli and Cauliflower off to a good start, but it will not compensate for all the possible problems just mentioned.
Beets, Onions, and Garlic are all good companions for your Broccoli and Cauliflower.
Growing Tips: Broccoli and Cauliflower
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Decorative, ornamental plants for beds, borders, and edging. Brassica is beautiful in containers. Ornamental Kale can also be eaten or used as a garnish.Plants display thick green leaves held in rosettes 12 inches across with centers of white, rose, or purple in fall and winter
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
Who knew that growing broccoli could actually be fun?! Delicious, yes; rewarding, certainly. But until now, not really enjoyable. But Artwork Hybrid is out to change that, with its unique growth habit and extra-long season of harvest.
This award-winning variety begins as an ordinary crown broccoli -- the big "headed" type we all grew up eating -- but once you cut or pinch off the central crown, long side-shoots begin to arise, packed with succulent flavor. Cut them at anywhere from 6 to 8 inches long and new ones will spring up to replace them. Before you know it, you've harvested up to 20 gourmet "sweet stem" broccoli shoots, and Artwork is the last broccoli in the garden still producing!
The secret to getting the most out of Artwork is to get rid of that central crown quickly. Cut it for eating when it's just an inch or so in diameter, or pinch it away even sooner if you don't need to harvest it. As soon as you do, the side-shoots begin to take off. Expect the first ones to be ready for harvest about 10 days after you've removed the central crown. Cut them promptly, and get ready to watch their replacements appear!
Many broccoli are better suited to crowning than to side shoot production because they tend to bolt (begin flowering) in hot weather -- and hot weather is exactly what most of us have all summer long in the garden! Artwork, on the other hand, is very bolt-resistant, keeping its tight beads even when the temperature climbs. This gives you many more weeks of production . . . and means that new side-shoots can arise even in late summer, when other sweet stem broccoli varieties are done.
Artwork reaches about 8 inches wide and can top out at close to 2 feet, depending on how tall you let it grow. It has a tender texture right to the base of the stem, and richly flavored beads that top the stems like icing on the cake! Expect 10 to 20 side-shoots from every plant, plus the central crown. That's a lot of gourmet deliciousness from a single plant!
Winner of a 2015 All-America Selection award, Artwork is ready to take off in your garden. Sow the seeds of this cool-season crop directly, or transplant the seedlings into the garden when they have 4 true leaves (about 8 weeks from germinating). Before planting, prepare the soil well, adding nitrogen if necessary and neutralizing heavily alkaline or acid soils. For spring crops, start seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before last frost date, then set out when the soil is warm enough to work. If planting in fall, start 10 to 12 weeks before first frost date. Space seeds or transplants 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. Pkt is 100 seeds.
If you want vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and nutrients as well as delicious flavors and beautiful, eye-catching colors, look no further than our numerous varieties of Broccoli and Cauliflower! These really are“super-veggies”, packing a healthy punch in every scrumptious bite, offering heavy yields so you'll have plenty of fresh produce for every meal, and proving hardy and versatile enough to satisfy everyone!
Choosing a Broccoli or Cauliflower Variety
All Broccoli and Cauliflower are packed with vitamins and nutrients, so when choosing what varieties to grow, you'll base your decision mostly on size and color. There are several compact types that don't require a lot of space, so they're the best choice for a limited gardening area. Heat tolerance is also a factor, especially for those living in the south. And if you're wanting to get your children to eat more healthy veggies, you might want to look at the more colorful, fun varieties!
When to Start Broccoli and Cauliflower
Broccoli seeds are best started indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last frost, at a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees F. They can also be sown outdoors 2 weeks before the last frost. For a winter crop in zones 8 and warmer, sow in late summer. Expect germination in 10 to 14 days.
The same guidelines apply to Cauliflower, except when starting indoors, sow your seeds 5 to 7 weeks before the last frost. Expect germination in 8 to 10 days.
Since Cauliflower is more sensitive to cold than its cabbage-family relatives, you need to start it early enough that it has a chance to mature before the heat of the summer. Be careful, however, not to start it so early it gets damaged by the cold.
How to Start Broccoli and Cauliflower
Sow your Broccoli and Cauliflower seeds at a depth of 4 times the size of the seed, or ½ inch deep, and water thoroughly. Once the seeds have sprouted, be sure to keep the soil lightly moist.
Make sure the plants receive plenty of light -- fluorescent light for around 14 to 16 hours a day is also ideal for the fastest growth. You will want to keep the seedlings just a few inches below the light so they don't“stretch”and get“leggy". If you don't have fluorescent lighting, a south-facing window will do just fine.
Broccoli -- 45 to 60 days from sowing to harvesting
Cauliflower -- 30 to 80 days from sowing to harvesting
Transplanting Broccoli and Cauliflower Seedlings
Transplant your Broccoli and Cauliflower seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. This should be done about 2 weeks before the last frost. Site them in full sun in a rich, moist, well-drained soil, spacing the young plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows that are 2½ to 3 feet apart. Feed both your Broccoli and Cauliflower with a low nitrogen fertilizer when first planting out. For your Broccoli, fertilize again when the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, 12 to 15 inches tall, and then when the buds first form. For your Cauliflower, fertilize again every 4 weeks. Keep the seedlings well watered and mulched to retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
Special Considerations
If your seedlings have been held too long or mistreated in some way before planting, they can create“buttons”, or small heads, that tend to flower prematurely.
Climatic elements such as extreme cold and drought can cause your plants to halt their full growth and form only “buttons”.
Don't allow your transplants to get too mature before moving them to your garden. If you do, they may become stressed by transplant shock.
A starter fertilizer applied when you transplant your seedlings will get your Broccoli and Cauliflower off to a good start, but it will not compensate for all the possible problems just mentioned.
Beets, Onions, and Garlic are all good companions for your Broccoli and Cauliflower.
Growing Tips: Broccoli and Cauliflower
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Decorative, ornamental plants for beds, borders, and edging. Brassica is beautiful in containers. Ornamental Kale can also be eaten or used as a garnish.Plants display thick green leaves held in rosettes 12 inches across with centers of white, rose, or purple in fall and winter
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.