Broccoli - Oregon Triplex

Brassica oleracea
45-50 days
NCS Original

Work-in-progress F4 breeding population derived from my three favourite broccoli cultivars. They each have certain distinct traits I'm fond of, and I'm very curious to see how these characteristics combine and evolve. This mix is still extremely diverse, with a wide variety of sizes and colours. Most of the plants seem to have good side-shoot production after taking the main head - I'm usually getting three or four good cuts after the main crop. 

Broccoli is one of those seed crops that has been somewhat difficult for me here on the prairies. Growing the vegetable crop is one thing, but end-of-summer rains and cool temperatures can really put a wrench into the seed-ripening part of the season.

The goal for this project is to create a diverse population of broccoli that reliably makes a decent seed crop in my local growing conditions. So far I've been working with final populations of 40-50 plants, looking mostly for early seed maturation while attempting to maintain a decent harvest window for the vegetable crop by first choosing plants that create a good looking head of broccoli without bolting too quickly. In 2024 I started making selections for larger florets and floret density, and now that I've made a bit of headway with these goals it's time to start working with bigger populations. 

The original varieties in this grex are Umpqua, Nutribud, and Purple Peacock - bred by Tim Peters, Alan Kapular, and Frank Morton respectively. Fine broccolis, all three!

Introduced in 2024