Chinese Broccoli - Kailaan seeds

This green leaf vegetable, with its wrinkled green leaves and thick stems, boasts a strong, slightly bitter broccoli flavour. It's perfect for stir-frying or steaming, making it a versatile addition to your meals. Harvest the entire plant once it has matured. Broccoli is heat tolerant and grows quickly, making it an easy and rewarding crop to cultivate in cooler seasons.

Key Features

• Plant Type: Annual, cool season crop
• Harvest: Whole plant
• Flavour: Strong, slightly bitter, with a traditional broccoli taste
• Uses: Ideal for stir-frying and steaming
• Tolerance: Heat tolerant, fast-growing
• Growth Habit: Thick stems with wrinkled green leaves

When to Sow
Broccoli is a cool-season crop and should be sown during the appropriate time in your climate to avoid hot weather, which can cause it to bolt.

Planting and Growing

• Best Location: Full sun, at least 6 hours per day
• Soil: Well-drained, enriched with organic matter like aged manure or compost
• Sow Direct: Plant seeds 5mm deep, 20cm apart, with rows spaced 35cm apart
• Germination: 7-12 days at a temperature of 10-29°C
• Transplanting: Seedlings should be 5-10cm tall before transplanting, with a spacing of 20cm between plants
• Watering: Keep soil moist but not wet; water deeply in the early morning or late afternoon

Fertilizing

• General: In well-prepared soil, no additional fertilizer is needed.
• For Poor Soil: Apply a slow-release fertilizer when transplanting or when seedlings are 5-10cm tall.
• Head-forming Types: Use a balanced fertilizer or one suitable for fruit and vegetables.
• Leaf Types: Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer for optimal leafy growth.

Harvesting

• Head-forming Types: Ready to harvest in 65-75 days when heads are fully grown but before flowers open. Cut the head with about 10-15cm of stem. Plants will produce side shoots after the first harvest.
• Leaf Types: Harvest once fully grown but before flowering. Cut the whole plant just above the soil level. Best eaten fresh but can be pickled for long-term storage.

Storage

• Fresh Storage: For short-term storage, place harvested heads or leaves in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge.
• Long-Term Storage: Blanch and freeze heads for longer storage or pickle leaves and stems.

Common Problems
Broccoli is susceptible to common pests and diseases. Ensure proper care and maintenance to prevent issues during growth.

Keys: kai lan (Malaysia); phak khana (Thai); cai ro (Vietnam); Chinese kale; gai lum, gai lan (China); kol (Indonesia)