Purple Sprouting Broccoli Seeds — Brassica oleracea

A Winter Garden Hero Worth the Wait

Purple Sprouting Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) is one of the most rewarding crops you can grow in a NZ winter garden. Sow in spring or early summer, tend through the cooler months, and come late winter you'll be harvesting tender, deep purple florets with a sweet, nutty flavour that puts supermarket broccoli to shame. A true slow-food experience — and absolutely worth every day of those 220 days.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 💜 Stunning deep purple florets — beautiful in the garden and on the plate
• ❄️ Frost hardy winter crop — thrives through NZ winters when little else is producing
• 🌿 Multiple harvests — cut the central head and side shoots keep on coming for weeks
• 🥦 Exceptional flavour — sweet, tender, and nutty when lightly steamed or roasted
• 🌱 Easy to grow — a satisfying crop for gardeners who love planning ahead

About Vernalisation

Purple Sprouting Broccoli requires vernalisation — a period of cold temperatures — to trigger the plant into producing its flowering heads. Unlike stratification (which breaks seed dormancy), vernalisation works on the growing plant itself: the cold of a NZ winter signals to the plant that it's time to flower and produce those beautiful purple florets come late winter. This is why PSB is sown in spring or early summer, grown through autumn, and then left to experience the cold — it's not a bug, it's the feature!

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Sow seeds indoors or in a sheltered seedling tray from spring through to early summer. Transplant seedlings to a sunny, well-drained bed once they reach 10–15 cm. Purple Sprouting Broccoli needs a long growing season — around 220 days from sowing to harvest — so timing is everything. It performs best in cooler NZ regions including Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, and the central North Island, where it will overwinter beautifully and reward you with harvests from late winter into early spring.

How to Sow Purple Sprouting Broccoli

1. Sow seeds 5–10 mm deep into moist seed-raising mix in a tray or small pots.
2. Keep warm during germination — a sunny windowsill or sheltered spot works well. Germination typically takes 5–10 days.
3. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they have 4–6 true leaves, spacing plants 45–60 cm apart.
4. Feed and water regularly through the growing season. A nitrogen-rich fertiliser in autumn will support strong growth.
5. Let the cold do its work — vernalisation through winter is what triggers flowering. Don't rush it!
6. Harvest the central head first, then continue picking side shoots as they develop — the more you pick, the more it produces!

What's in the Packet

Each packet contains 10+ seeds of Purple Sprouting Broccoli (Brassica oleracea), with full sowing and growing instructions included.