Cima di Rapa Centoventina, Broccoli Raab

Cima Di Rapa Centoventina.  Late variety, very productive, also known as broccoli or turnip top.120 days from sowing. Upright plant with thin long leaves. Produces a number of tender sprouting broccoli florettes.These are very popular vegetable in Italy, especially in the South. There are an enormous number of varieties. The most common are Novantina and Centoventina (90 and 120 days) for the number of days it takes for the particular variety to mature. Cima di rapa is easy to grow if you follow a few simple rules. First, you can grow it at any time of the year. You do NOT have to grow it in cool weather. For example they do better in the summer in the Northeast U.S. because flea beetles are a real problem for cima di rapa in the spring. In southern Italy, they are planted in late summer and are harvested through the mild winter (that is the reason to grow varieties with different days to maturity: plant them all at the same time then harvest for months). Grow it that way if you live in an area with Mediterranean climate or with mild winters. In zones 6 through 4, they do very well if planted in summer or late summer.

Nice assertive taste. Can be grown from transplants but easiest from direct seed. Spring, summer, fall. One seed/inch in rows 12 inches apart planted about 1/2 inch deep. Keep well watered until germination. Thin to one plant every five-six inches (you can let them grow some and pull the baby plants and toss in a salad or cook).