The Garden by Channan Din
Romanesco Seeds — Italian Heirloom Spiral Cauliflower
Romanesco Seeds — Italian Heirloom Spiral Cauliflower
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The vegetable that looks like mathematics. Brassica oleracea Romanesco is an Italian heirloom grown near Rome for centuries, forming a lime-green head of spiralling pointed cones, each a smaller copy of the whole. Despite the common name it is botanically a cauliflower, not a broccoli. The flavour is mild, nutty and earthy, far less bitter than broccoli, and the texture stays firm and crunchy when cooked.
Growing guide & FAQs
Growing Guide for Pakistan
- Sowing time: Punjab plains late September to mid-October; Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar September; Karachi and coastal Sindh October to November; Murree, Swat and Quetta February to March. It needs a long cool run, so sow early enough to head up before the spring heat.
- Method: Sow 6 mm deep in trays about eight weeks before you want to transplant, then plant out.
- Germination: Ten to twenty-one days at around 21°C.
- Spacing: Plants 40–60 cm apart, rows 60 cm apart. Mature plants reach 60–90 cm tall.
- Harvest: 75–100 days. Cut the whole head at 13–15 cm across, while the spirals are still tight and sharply defined.
- Sun and water: Full sun and rich, well-fed soil. Romanesco is a hungry plant — work compost in before planting and keep water steady or the head comes out small.
Be honest about the season it needs
This is not a quick crop. Romanesco wants three months of cool weather and will not head properly if it runs into March heat. In the Punjab plains that means sowing by mid-October at the latest. In Murree, Swat or Quetta it is far easier. If you want something reliable and fast, grow one of our Asian greens instead — but nothing else in the garden will look like this.
Cut it into whole florets
The spirals are the entire point, so break the head into individual cones rather than chopping it. Roast them with olive oil and salt, or blanch briefly and dress warm.
Open-pollinated heirloom
Not a hybrid, so you can save seed from your best plant. Expect a little natural variation in head size between plants — that is normal for an heirloom.
What is in the packet
50 seeds, packed for The Garden by Chanan Din. Bred by Italian heirloom, open-pollinated and imported for the Pakistani season. Non-GMO. Every lot is germination-tested in Lahore before it goes on sale.
New to seed starting? Read what to sow in September in Pakistan and why your seeds are not germinating first.
Germination-tested in Lahore before it reaches you, from a seed house trading since 1932.
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