Broccoli Raab Sessantina Grossa
Broccoli Raab Sessantina Grossa is a specialty in Italian cuisine. Sessantina grossa translates to Big Sixty – due to the 60 days to harvest. It is like Broccoli however the whole thing is eaten, leaves, stems and heads. Great in salads and stir fries. A quick grower and is ready to start harvesting after 6 weeks. Best to plant close for higher yields.
Sow: October to February (cool climate).
Spacing: Thin to 5 – 10cm apart thickly.
- Broccoli resulted from breeding of landrace Brassica crops in the northern Mediterranean starting in about the sixth century BCE.
- Broccoli has its origins in primitive cultivars grown in the Roman Empire and was most likely improved via artificial selection in the southern Italian Peninsula or in Sicily.
- Broccoli was spread to northern Europe by the 18th century and brought to North America in the 19th century by Italian immigrants.
- After the Second World War, breeding of United States and Japanese F1 hybrids increased yields, quality, growth speed, and regional adaptation, which produced the cultivars that have been the most popular since then.
Germination: Optimal Soil temperature is 18 to 24 C (around 5-10 days to germination)
