Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Family: Brassicaceae Vegetable

Sweetly nutty and vividly tender, Purple Sprouting Broccoli sends up a cascade of deep violet-purple spears that turn lushly green as they mature.

Expect a pleasantly crisp bite with a fine, delicate texture—ideal for steaming, roasting, and quick sautéing, and also prized for hearty winter-style sauces and pickling preserves. For home gardeners, it’s a cool-season showpiece that rewards patience: sow, overwinter, and look forward to a long, flavorful harvest window beginning around 75 days to maturity.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 75 DaysHabit: Upright

Botanical illustration of Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Planting schedules and alerts are optimized for Columbus (Zone 6b).

Crop Dates

Milestone	Date
Start Indoors	Mar 28th
Last Frost	Apr 25th
Transplant / Sow Outdoors	Apr 18th
Harvest Begins	Jul 2nd
Harvest Ends	Oct 16th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	75
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Upright
Support Needed	None
Planting Depth	Normal
Germination Temp (°F)	45
Min Soil Temp (°F)	40
Min Night Temp (°F)	30
Harden Off (days)	6

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is the brassica you want when you don’t want woolly stems—it stays tender-crisp and sweet-nutty, with a peppery snap that turns mellow under heat. It earns its keep in roasting and quick sautéing, where the purple-to-green transformation comes with caramelized edges and a clean, lingering finish.

Best Uses

steam to a vivid green with a crisp center
quick roast until the edges caramelize but the spears stay snappy
fast sauté with a glossy sauce for winter greens plates
pickle the spears for sharp, crunchy bite

Flavor Profile

sweetly nutty tender-crisp with a fine, delicate bite peppery brassica snap that softens with heat

Kitchen Pairings

lemon olive oil parmesan butter anchovy mustard

Frequently Asked Questions

What pest or disease most commonly hits Brassica oleracea var. italica (purple sprouting broccoli), and how should I manage it?

Cabbage aphids and caterpillars (especially cabbage white butterfly larvae) are the most common early-season pests on Brassicaceae, and they can chew leaves and spoil developing shoots. Use fine insect netting immediately after sowing/transplanting to block egg-laying, then remove any visible larvae by hand; if needed, spray a registered organic product such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) targeted to caterpillars. Watch for clubroot (a soil disease that causes swollen roots) by checking plants at the first sign of sudden wilting; once diagnosed, remove affected plants and don’t replant brassicas in that bed for several years.

How often should I water purple sprouting broccoli during its main growth phase, and what soil moisture level should I keep?

During the main growth phase, keep the soil evenly moist—aim for consistently damp (not waterlogged) soil to a depth of at least 6–8 inches. Water deeply about 1–2 times per week depending on rainfall and heat, increasing frequency when the surface dries quickly or if heads/shoots begin to lag. Avoid letting the soil swing from very dry to very wet, since Brassica oleracea var. italica is prone to stress-related leaf issues and poor shoot development.

How do I know when purple sprouting broccoli is ready to harvest?

Harvest when the small purple florets/shoots are firm and tightly closed—before they start to open into yellow flowers. Start picking from the first well-formed side shoots around about 75 days from sowing/transplanting (often in late winter to early spring depending on sowing dates). Cut each shoot 4–6 inches below the cluster, and keep harvesting as new side shoots form rather than waiting for one large head.