Packet Content (approx.): 40

Calabrese F1 Kabuki is a variety has short and compact plants producing a good crop of green, deep and well rounded heads. They are bred for close spacing, and grown like this will produce babyheads - small, tender and looking perfect on the dinner plate! Very early and ready after just65-70 days. Hardy.

This early mid-season variety produces heads from 65-70 days. It is perfect for baby head production and has few leaves and stands well. Particularly useful for growing under cloches.

Sow from mid February until the end of May to harvest from July to October.

Calabrese is one of the most rewarding members of the brassica tribe you can grow. The firm green heads that are delicious lightly steamed, stir-fried or made into a rich soup with blue cheese.

Calabrese needs a rich, firm soil that isn’t acidic. You will need to ensure there is minimal root disturbance, which means sowing directly where it is to grow, or starting seedlings off in modules and pots, rather than transplanting. During the growing season, plants demand careful watering and a weed-free patch. Protection against some of this tasty crop’s foes, notably marauding pigeons and the cabbage white butterfly, is also likely to be necessary. Don’t be put off if all this sounds like too much fuss – despite appearances calabrese is still a relatively easy crop to grow and given these few precautions you’ll be picking good, solid heads of tightly-closed flower buds throughout late summer and autumn.

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS: Sow indoors, February–End May, in trays of compost, 1.5cm (½”) deep. Plant out when large enough to handle and when weather conditions permit. Cloche protection against frosts is advisable. Or outdoors, March-July, sow thinly, 1.5cm (½”) deep, in rows in their final growing position. Thin or transplant to allow 45cm (18”) each way between plants.

Do not sow after September.

Harvest: July-October.

Suitable for the vegetable garden, allotments and containers.
Be prepared to water well and supplement feed with high-potash feed during season. Regular feeding is recommended.