A single portion provides half your daily requirement of carotenoids, plus high levels of folic acid and vitamins A and C. If you choose the right varieties, and time your seed sowing well, you can keep harvesting your crops from autumn through to early summer the following year. Purple-sprouting broccoli is extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures below freezing, so it’s a good winter crop. Like other brassicas, purple-sprouting broccoli thrives in a fairly heavy, alkaline soil. Avoid growing it on an exposed site, where the wind will buffet the stems and loosen the soil around the roots. Sow the seeds into small pots or multi-cell trays, using a good quality multi-purpose or loam-based seed and cuttings compost. Once large enough to handle, prick seedlings out and transplant into single 4" pots, watering in well.