Broccoli rabe (rapini): Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow rapini under cover?
Rapini is a cool-season vegetable with a relatively short growing cycle. Direct sowing works well, but you can raise a few plants under cover before moving them into the garden. Choose a cultivar suited to the intended season, as heat and lengthening days can encourage early flowering. You do not need to keep the shelter permanently above 15°C.
Fill small pots or module trays with free-draining seed compost. Sow a few seeds in each cell, about 0.5–1 cm deep, then water gently. Presoaking is unnecessary. Keep the compost slightly moist rather than waterlogged and place the tray somewhere bright. Watch for emergence instead of relying on a fixed germination date.
Once seedlings appear, ventilate the shelter and avoid excessive warmth, which produces stretched growth. Thin to one strong seedling per cell. Gradually acclimatise the plants to outdoor conditions before planting them while still young, keeping each root ball intact. Do not wait until roots circle the pot or flower buds develop. Water after planting and allow spacing appropriate to the cultivar and intended harvest stage.
When and how do you sow broccoli rabe outdoors?
How do you plant young rapini?
When and how do you harvest broccoli rabe?
