Artwork Hybrid Broccoli Seeds

Days to Maturity: 85 from direct sow; 55 from transplant

All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2015

Who knew that growing broccoli could actually be fun. Delicious, yes; rewarding, certainly. But until now, not really enjoyable. But Artwork Hybrid is out to change that, with its unique growth habit and extra-long season of harvest.

This award-winning variety begins as an ordinary crown broccoli—the big "headed" type we all grew up eating—but once you cut or pinch off the central crown, long side-shoots begin to arise, packed with succulent flavor. Cut them at anywhere from 6 to 8 inches long and new ones will spring up to replace them. Before you know it, you've harvested up to 20 gourmet "sweet stem" broccoli shoots, and Artwork is the last broccoli in the garden still producing.

The secret to getting the most out of Artwork is to get rid of that central crown quickly. Cut it for eating when it's just an inch or so in diameter, or pinch it away even sooner if you don't need to harvest it. As soon as you do, the side-shoots begin to take off. Expect the first ones to be ready for harvest about 10 days after you've removed the central crown. Cut them promptly, and get ready to watch their replacements appear.

Many broccoli are better suited to crowning than to side shoot production because they tend to bolt (begin flowering) in hot weather—and hot weather is exactly what most of us have all summer long in the garden. Artwork, on the other hand, is very bolt-resistant, keeping its tight beads even when the temperature climbs. This gives you many more weeks of production . . . and means that new side-shoots can arise even in late summer, when other sweet stem broccoli varieties are done.

Artwork reaches about 8 inches wide and can top out at close to 2 feet, depending on how tall you let it grow. It has a tender texture right to the base of the stem, and richly flavored beads that top the stems like icing on the cake. Expect 10 to 20 side-shoots from every plant, plus the central crown. That's a lot of gourmet deliciousness from a single plant.

Winner of an All-America Selection award, Artwork is ready to take off in your garden. Sow the seeds of this cool-season crop directly, or transplant the seedlings into the garden when they have 4 true leaves (about 8 weeks from germinating). Before planting, prepare the soil well, adding nitrogen if necessary and neutralizing heavily alkaline or acid soils. For spring crops, start seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before last frost date, then set out when the soil is warm enough to work. If planting in fall, start 10 to 12 weeks before first frost date. Space seeds or transplants 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.