Vegetable · Brassicaceae
When to plant purple sprouting broccoli
Sprouting broccoli produces smaller shoots over a period rather than one large calabrese head. Choose a variety for the intended harvest season; many traditional types occupy the bed across winter.
Sow direct
10 weeks after
Counted from your last spring frost.
Days to maturity (estimate)
220-300
From sowing to first harvest; cultivar and conditions matter.
Frost tolerance
Very hardy
How much cold the plant itself will take.
Choose a place for estimated dates and local climate checks.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
These offsets are the starting assumptions used by our calendar for purple sprouting broccoli. They do not establish suitability in every climate. Your seed packet, cultivar and local growing advice take priority; in frost-free places the calendar uses monthly temperature patterns instead.
- Sow direct 10 weeks after the last frost.
- Expect 220–300 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
Getting the timing right
Allow enough space and time for a substantial plant before cropping. Support plants if wind or a top-heavy canopy makes them unstable.
Frost tolerance
Cold tolerance varies with cultivar, plant age, acclimatisation and the duration of a freeze. A plant surviving frost does not mean its leaves, heads, flowers or developing crop will remain undamaged. Check the forecast and the variety's local advice.
Classified as very-hardy, with a catalog cold-damage reference of -12°C (10.4°F)10.4°F (-12°C). Exposure duration, growth stage and acclimatisation change cold tolerance.
Before you plant purple sprouting broccoli
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 7°C (44.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Plan for repeated shoots and, where relevant, overwintering
Allow enough space and time for a substantial plant before cropping. Support plants if wind or a top-heavy canopy makes them unstable.
Cut usable shoots while the buds remain closed and keep checking for further side shoots. Regular picking and healthy leaves are more useful than waiting for each shoot to become a large head.
What to record this season
How long did the plant occupy the bed before the first usable shoots? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS broccoli growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The RHS guide is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local cultivar and seasonal guidance; its calendar months are not worldwide recommendations.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Local planting estimates