Description
Botanical name
Brassica rapa
Family
Brassicaceae
Spacing
1 per square foot. Very tall, back row only. Plants grow to on 52-cm (22″) tall.
Depth
Plant seeds 1 cm (½”) deep, indoors.
Requirements
Full sun is best, but will tolerate some shade. pH around 6-6.5.
Germination
Seeds will sprout in 6-10 days.
Pests
If the soil is rich and healthy and plants get enough water, the rapini will be very resistant to pests or diseases. Keep an eye out for cabbage moth caterpillars (cabbage worms). Hand pick these bright green 2-cm (1″) caterpillars off of the underside of leaves.
Timing
Plant from early spring to late summer. Transplant out when seedlings are 7 cm (3″) high. Set plants 2.5 cm (1″) deeper than they were grown inside the pots. Plant out with your spring planting in early April.
Growing
Make sure to cut leaves that spread over into neighbouring squares so they don’t shade other plants. Harvest promptly, once the buds flower. Rapini gets rather bitter.
Harvest
55 days
Season
Cool, annual
