Crop type: Broccoli
Brassica oleracea (Italica Group) 'Claret'
Common name: broccoli (purple sprouting) 'Claret'
Crop slug: broccoli
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
'Claret' is an RHS Award of Garden Merit purple-sprouting broccoli with vigorous, clump-forming growth and heavy yields. The green plant produces tender shoots topped by light-purple broccoli heads in late spring and early summer. Numerous side-shoots are a defining feature, extending the picking period after the first central spears have been cut.
This annual or biennial food crop reaches maturity in one year. Its combination of a sheltered full-sun position, regular summer water and moist but freely drained soil supports the strong growth required for repeated harvests.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.5–1m
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5m
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam, sand, clay and chalk
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH
- Alkaline or neutral
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South-facing or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H4 — hardy through most of the UK, tolerating the RHS winter temperature band of about -10 to -5°C
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Purple | Green | — |
| Summer | Purple | Green | — |
| Autumn | — | Green | — |
| Winter | Purple | Green | — |
The purple colour entries represent the budded edible heads and developing flower shoots. Harvest them tightly closed for the best texture rather than leaving them to open.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Brassicas include annual, biennial and perennial plants, usually upright with alternate and often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped yellow or white flowers. Breeding within the genus has produced food crops such as broccoli, cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape as well as ornamental forms.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow 'Claret' in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. A sheltered site helps its vigorous top growth remain stable. Water regularly, particularly during summer, so the plant can maintain its numerous side-shoots and develop tender spears without interruption.
Use the parent broccoli guide for detailed sowing, transplanting, spacing and protection. Rotate brassicas to reduce soil-borne disease pressure and cover the crop against birds and insects.
Propagation
Propagate by seed, either sowing indoors for an early start or using the appropriate outdoor vegetable-seed method.
Suggested locations
- Patio and container planting
Pruning
The profile requires no pruning. At harvest, cut tightly budded heads and continue removing ready side-shoots; this picking pattern makes use of the cultivar's naturally long productive period.
Pests
The profile lists susceptibility to birds, caterpillars, slugs, snails and cabbage root fly. Fine mesh helps exclude birds and flying insects, while regular checks are especially important around young plants and damp hiding places.
Diseases
The profile lists club root, downy mildew and leaf spot. Crop rotation, good drainage, clean plants and enough space for air circulation help limit avoidable disease pressure.