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🌼 6 for £25! Cottage Garden Favourites 🌼
2024 S.E Marshall & Co Limited
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Brassica oleracea var. italica
Superb Broccoli ‘Besty’ needs less nitrogen than other varieties, making it a great choice for first-time growers as it doesn’t need as much care and feeding. A vigorous variety that matures early, producing good mushroom-shaped heads with excellent flavour.
16 x Seedlings
10805740
Pre Order Now
Despatched between 21st and end of April
£8.49
3 x 9cm Plants
10805974
Despatched between 1st and 10th of June
£7.99
Plants Delivery £4.95* | Learn More
Plants Delivery £4.95*
Plants £4.95 - All our plants are dispatched directly from our nursery. Plants showing as 'In Stock' on the individual product page will be dispatched by our expert nursery team within 48 hours of placing your order (orders placed Sunday to Thursday). Dispatching 5 days a week.
We avoid sending plants in the post over the weekend to ensure they arrive with you in the freshest condition.
For 'Pre-Orders' please refer to the estimated delivery date on each product page. Further details can be found in the table below of when we send different plant orders out.
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Plant outdoors
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Superb Broccoli ‘Besty’ needs less nitrogen than other varieties, making it a great choice for first-time growers as it doesn’t need as much care and feeding as traditional broccoli varieties. This vigorous variety grows well even in poor soils and copes well with high temperatures – another plus for new gardeners anxious about bolting broccoli! It matures early, producing good mushroom-shaped heads with excellent flavour.
How To Grow
Brassica Seedlings – Transplanting You can transplant the seedlings from indoor or outdoor seed trays, when several true leaves appear. The seedling leaves appears quickly but then the true leaves start to form from the growing tip. Plants should be about 10-15cm tall and will be 5- 6 weeks old. Using a dibber and trying to disturb the roots as least as possible, lift the seedlings by their true leaves and not the delicate stem. Make a deep hole and lower the roots until the lowest leaves are at ground level. Brassicas like to be firm, so planting them deep then firming the soil well around them, will benefit the growth of the plant. A good tip is to fill the hole with water and let the soil fill around the roots, then firm the soil around it.
Brassica Plugs, Garden Ready Plugs and 9cm Plants. – Our Brassica plants are grown under cool conditions and are hardened off ready to be planted direct into their final position. When you receive your plants, remove them from their packaging immediately. Give them a good water, plugs can be put into a shallow dish of water and leave for a few minutes for the plug to soak up the water. Pots and Garden ready packs can be watered overhead with a fine rose spray. If particularly dry, plunge them into a bucket of water until no air bubbles are seen from the compost. Ideally, they then need to be planted, however, if you can’t plant straight away, place the plants in a cool shady part of the garden, out of the wind and keep moist until ready to be planted.
Prepare for Planting – If you can prepare the ground prior to the delivery of your plants. Brassicas need fertile soil, so add a good amount of well-rotted manure or compost into the soil and mix in.
Brassicas do best in neutral to Alkali soils of pH 6.5 to 8 ideally. If your soil is too acidic ie less than 6.0 then you can add in lime and dig in before planting. Soil should be compacted before planting as Brassicas don’t like ‘rocking’ by wind when they are growing. This breaks the very fine new roots and can check growth. Brassicas can be planted deep, up to the first pairs of leaves and firm well when planting.
Feeding and Watering – As they are hungry and thirsty plants, attention needs to be given to the correct nutrients in the soil and constant watering through their growing season. Along with high Nitrogen levels, ensure there are trace elements present in the soil, as this will help to reduce and leaf issues. If leaves do start to show yellowing, then a liquid high nitrogen can be applied. Brassicas especially need Boron and Magnesium to ensure constant healthy growth. Keep watering consistent rather than dry and soaking, especially when the weather is hot.
Spacing – Brassicas can take up a lot of room, but modern varieties have been selected to give the same size of produce with less unnecessary leaf, or small overall size without reducing head size in cauliflowers and cabbage etc. Brassica roots are quite shallow and will spread wide, so getting the spacing right is crucial. All the varieties differ and check the specific spacing on the web site. In general the spacings are as follows.
Guide To Plant Sizes
Bare Root Plants: Several of our plants come supplied as bare roots. Despite appearances, they are alive and well. They have been previously grown in the ground and lifted when dormant throughout the winter months, so that when you receive them, they are strong, full of energy and ready to be planted out. This is our most economical way to buy many plant varieties including roses, strawberries, trees and bushes.
Seedlings: Seedlings are young plants that have grown from seeds and are still small, usually with just a few leaves. They are in the early stages of growth and are ready to be potted on or planted outdoors to continue developing.
Plug Plants: A wide range of our varieties come in plug size, including Strawberries, Tomatoes, Chillis, Peppers, Cucumbers and Courgettes. Grown in individual cells with a bio-degradable membrane that will break down in the soil, no need to remove before planting. Pot and grow on to form larger plants that can be planted later in the season. Protect from frost if necessary.
9cm Plants: Our 9cm plants are larger and much more established than our plug ranges, meaning they are ready to plant out straight away. These will establish quickly and produce flower and fruit much quicker than smaller plugs. Protect from frost if required.
13cm Plants: A substantial plant with many already developed flowers or even early onset of fruit if the season has been early. Great for filling in gaps or plating into patio containers.
Grafted Plants: Grafted plants are created by joining together two different plant varieties, typically by attaching the stem of one onto the root system of another. This process allows for desirable traits, such as disease resistance or better fruit production, to be combined into a single plant.
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