[Shandy]

I was given two plants last year by a friend and advised that they were Nine Star Perennial Brocolli.  However, they look very different.  One looks like sprouting Brocolli with additional buds and the other looks like it has larger white buds coming similar to cauliflower.

Are there different types of Nine Star Perennial Brocolli?

When should I start picking the buds, when they are the size of a brocolli flourette or before or is it going to be trial and error?

Never grown brocolli of any kind before and never seen this variety before, any help would be appreciated. Ta.

[DD.]

Not had dealings with this kind of broccoli, but a good harvesting maxim for any is if you can see the floret - pick it!

[Shandy]

Thank you will give it a go tomorrow.

[goodtogrow]

Nine star is a perennial broccoli and I only know it as having small white florettes, so yes, pick it small before the pigeons do!

[sunshineband]

I grew this years an' years ago on my first plot.

It was brilliant as it had heads like small caulis about two inches across rather than the kind that purple sprouting broccoli has (They were white)

The plants were about 1m tall

I remember it so well because I had dozens of plants as I had thought you just got one spear of broccoli from each 

Daft!!

[viettaclark]

This plant sounds marvellous!!! Is it worth growing and where do you get the seed? Is it invasive or anything?

[Shandy]

I was given the plants and they are about 2 ft tall and look like sprout plants.  I am told that if you pick the buds before they flower and seed they will keep growing the following year.

Apparently you can get these seeds from Marshalls - I have two plants and there looks like there are lots of flourettes coming.

[mattwragg94]

they've run out of stock at marshalls - ive just had a look, but heres the link anyway:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=nine%20star%20perennial%20broccoli%20&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CGUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marshalls-seeds.co.uk%2Fbroccoli-nine-star-perennial-pid3639.html&ei=pLt-T7JOgr_RBdT59fkG&usg=AFQjCNF_XIxJMn2cpRQQ5ec-uIADBv_Zmw

[sunshineband]

Matt there are other suppliers of this broccoli, so although it was kind of you to post a link, a link to an in-stock supplier would have been more helpful (Suttons & Kings Seeds usually stock it, in case any one would like to buy some on line)

The plants usually live about three-four years, before dying off. It is not invasive.... unless like me you fill the plot with them to start with  ... see my previous post 

[mattwragg94]

sorry i thought i was just marshalls that sold the seed!