Broccoli

Meet broccoli, the long-haul vegetable of the Dubai winter. Seed started in a tray in October becomes a bed of blue-green, waxy-leaved plants by December, and in January a tight green head forms at the centre of each one.

Its character is solid, hungry and a little slow. It wants rich soil, steady water and a few hours' shade as the weather warms, and it rewards that with a main head, then a second and third round of smaller side shoots through the cool months.

What it brings is the satisfaction of growing something that looks like a small tree and tastes better for being cut fresh. Plant it in October or November, keep the caterpillars off, and it is a staple until March.

Broccoli is the centrepiece of a winter brassica bed. BBC Good Food Middle East's UAE guide gives October to November for broccoli, and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's calendar, which does not list broccoli itself, gives its close relatives in the same species, cabbage and cauliflower, nursery sowing from September to December and field planting from October to December. Gulf News' guide lists broccoli among the cool-weather crops, planted towards the end of November or early December. UF/IFAS gives 80 to 100 days from transplanting to harvest, so seed started in October and planted out in November is cut from January to March.

Heat is the deadline. UF/IFAS says broccoli is a cool-season crop that should mature before warm weather arrives, and that rising temperatures cause bolting, when the flowers in the head begin to open. Broccoli that has bolted becomes quite bitter. Dubai's mean high is 35.9°C in October, 30.7°C in November, 24 to 27°C from December to February and 28.9°C in March. Gulf News' guide says cool-weather crops flourish between 10 and 18°C and need consistent moisture and some shade, so give plants afternoon shade as March warms, and plan to be done by April.

Broccoli is a hungry, thirsty crop. UF/IFAS advises 1 to 2 inches of water a week in heavy soakings, mulch, a 6-8-8 fertiliser at planting and regularly through the season, a soil pH of 6.2 to 6.5, and four to six hours of sun a day. Cut the main head first; the plant then keeps producing side shoots, which can also be harvested. FAO rates broccoli as moderately sensitive to salt, with a threshold of 2.8 dS/m, better than carrot or bean, so use mains water and a low-salinity soil mix. Arizona desert data show diamondback moths arriving on the wind each autumn to infest brassicas, and aphids peaking in winter.