Question about Broccoli Rabe

16 years ago

Every year my rabe plants grow to near-shrub size, 3-feet tall and just as wide, but production is very timid. Out of two plants, I will have to harvest 2 weeks worth of florets before I have enough to make 2 decent-sized dishes. After that the florets will diminish in size until the plants run out of gas. My feeling is that if the commercial growers could not do better than this it would not pay for them to grow it.

If I didn't like rabe so much I would have stopped spending the time and space they need a long time ago, but each year I hope for better results.

Anyone out there have any ideas?

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Comments (9)

stacey_l
16 years ago
No help. Only sympathy. I have the same problem and I quit growing it.
llaz
16 years ago
I guess I'm a little confused. We eat and grow a lot of broccoli rabe and I thought the leaves, peeled thick stems and florets was the object. We chop it all up and saute in olive oil with crushed garlic and red chili flakes - yum!
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digit
16 years ago
Ligardener, I'm not sure but you may be more successful with the Asian flowering brassicas. It should be worth a try.

Steve
ralleia
16 years ago
When do you plant it? Broccoli rabe can't take heat.

I plant harden mine off and set them out even before the frost free date--a month before at least. They love a little frost.

Mine do great and taste wonderful!

-Kris
fearlessem
16 years ago
Hi there --

I'm with llaz, also confused. When I buy broccoli rabe at the supermarket the florets are just a small part of it -- essentially a nice accent to the leaves and less thick stems. Are you only using the florets?

As a side note, I am desperately jealous that you've been able to manage to get broccoli rabe to shrub size! I've tried the 40 day, 60 day, and 90 day variety, planted fairly early in the season, and every single one has bolted within two weeks of being transplanted, not even close to big enough to eat. When I've tried sowing\g them directly, they don't sprout for me. May I ask where you are getting your seed?

Emily
ligardener
Original Author
16 years ago
llaz: You prepare it exactly the way I do. Yum, is right. I snip off the flower cluster just below the first set of leaves where the stem is still tender. Do you harvest and cook the big leaves as well? I don't. Just the clusters.

Kris: Actually, I grow 'em twice. First in the spring, and then when those peter out I plant new ones that I've prepared beforehand, which take me into the fall. Either way, I get a short burst of decent sized florets that quickly trail off.

Steve: I don't recall seeing Asian brassicas locally, but I haven't looked. I'll tell you what I have done in the past. Turnips. They are not nearly as good as Raab, but their greens have the familiar pungency.

Frank
luong
16 years ago
Ligardener,
I get your instruction today. I wish I read it early. It is too late to do anything. Thanks. I will do it next year.
digit
16 years ago
There's a number of ways to go Asian, Frank, with vegetables similar to broccoli rabe:

Guy lon, yu choy/yu choy sum, and just the flowering shoots of bok choy are all somewhat similar. Probably, guy lon is the most similar to rabe.

I've ordered seed for these vegetables from Kitazawa, Evergreen, and Johnny's seed companies.

Steve
ligardener
Original Author
16 years ago
Emily: There is nothing special about the seed I buy. Burpee, Hart, NK. These are the seeds that my local merchants carry so these are what I get. My soil is very rich because every Fall I bury tons of leaves in it, and I guess I get paid off with big plants.

Raab is a temperamental plant. Early this Spring I planted Broccoli and Raab side-by-side, started indoors at the same time. Our Spring was cold. The Raab went right to seed, the Broccoli did fine. These are the imponderables that I (we) can never figure out. My strategy out of these situations is to always have backup plants, started weeks apart, to step in in case of trouble. Still....things happen.

Steve: Thanks for the tips.

Frank