'Leggy' Romanesco!!
By Molethemad
Wiltshire,
United Kingdom 
Hi All,
I am not a lover of cauliflower, but discovered Romanesco whilst on holiday in Suffolk last year. Bought 2 fairly large heads for about £1, & searched for some when we returned home. Local farmers market had some . . . £1.75 for something not much larger than a golf ball! Oh yes but it is organic sir . . . 'should be gold plated for that price’!! Stick organic/disabled or anything similar in front of a product & inflate the cost as much as you think people are stupid enough to pay
I digress, apologies. Have grown my own from seed this year in fibre pots originally & then transplanted into a raised bed in which a mix of topsoil and multi-purpose compost had been placed. They have put on a lot of growth (about the same height as a Brussels sprout plant 24 - 36 inches) but do not appear to be 'hearting up' whatsoever. I may be wrong in my thinking here, but I thought being a member of the cauliflower/broccoli type of brassicas, it would be a lot closer to the ground whilst growing. Having said that I may have answered my own question as I seem to remember growing sprouting broccoli previously and that grew quite leggy. Should maybe add that this is the first time I've grown veg in a raised bed as having moved to a smaller house I no longer have a veg plot per se & the plants have been covered with net for some time due to an abundance of cabbage white butterflies.
For those of you who may not have tasted Romanesco try it if you get chance . . tastes like a cross between cauli & broccoli, with a slightly 'nutty' taste & this from a cauli hater!!
Sorry this has been quite long winded, would appreciate thoughts on whether I'm likely to get a crop off these plants this year or not.
Thanks in anticipation
Mole
2 Aug, 2009
Featured on:
brassicas
Answers
Romanesco are very late producing, like autumn cauliflowers, so I would expect them to head up much later than now, say in September or October. It's worth waiting as they are delicious. If you've got a really big plant growing well and it's protected from those horrible caterpillars, you should expect a good head on them.
3 Aug, 2009
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'Morning Mole! I suspect you have indeed answered your own question - having fallen into a similar trap myself once upon a time. I think your Romanescos are all thriving only too well on "breakfast in your raised bed"!!
I didn't have that variety - but my multi-headed cauliflowers nearly turned into trees because they were in too well dug and manured ground. Purple headed broccoli did the same and I nipped the heads out of the lot and they took the hint and branched out smartly and sprouted a really super crop - that I could hardly keep up with...and I had to freeze lots of both!! You might try doing that - to some at least to see if that "frightens" them into supplying you with those delicious nutty spears - gorgeous with a spot of butter... Enjoy!!
3 Aug, 2009