GRAHAM, from Stockton, has just started a vegetable patch in his back garden for the first time. He has heard that broccoli is a very healthy plant nutritionally and has become popular and trendy to have in the veg garden again. He would like to know how to grow it and would he be able to harvest some in the same year?

BROCCOLI has been around for more than 2,000 years and has been grown as a major garden crop for nearly 300. The name “broccoli” comes for the Latin word brachium, which means “branch” or “arm” and it was the Italians that first commercialised the vegetable, in the province of Calabria, which gave rise to the name Calabrese. Technically, Calabrese is the large green-headed variety, while broccoli can be the white, green or purple thinner-headed sorts.

All are cruciferous vegetables and members of the cabbage family It’s a surprising fact but broccoli consumption has increased 940 per cent over the past 25 years. It’s a good source of Vitamin A, and vitamin C, potassium, folacin, iron and fibre.

Broccoli has as much calcium ounce per ounce as milk and contains important phytochemicals which prevent carcinogens from forming.

They also stop carcinogens from getting to target cells and help boost enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. It really is good for you.

Sow seeds early spring, which will take four to six weeks before being ready for transplanting, or plant seedlings out no later than early summer. It’s better to sow your broccoli seeds in punnets or trays first and transplant later because the seeds are small and round, so they end to roll away to if you try to put them directly in the ground. Tiny new seedlings are gourmet breakfasts for slugs and snails and pigeons, so get them established first where you can keep an eye on them before sending them out to the big bad world.

Broccoli needs to develop a good size with strong leaf growth before the cool weather sets in. If you get your broccoli growing early enough without suffering excessive heat, it will be ready for use in late autumn and winter.

Don’t worry though if it doesn’t produce anything by October. It will sit and start again in the spring and you will be cropping madly in early summer.

When they do perform, make sure to pick any florets before the heads flower in order to keep them prolific and to keep them sweet and tender.

Try to rotate brassica crops with root or climbing crops each year or every two to three years.

Jobs this week

■ THE bulbs of spring-flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are planted during the autumn months. Select good firm, disease-free bulbs. Plant the bulbs three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. The bulbs will grow and flower best in well-drained soil.

■ IF you want to add some colour to the garden this winter, try pansies.

They reach their peak of beauty in the springtime, just about the same time bulbs bloom.

Hear Brigid talk more about gardening every Sunday between 11.am and 2pm on BBC Tees. Questions can be rung in on the day on 01642- 225511, or texted on 07786- 200995. Written questions can be sent to Lazy Dayz Plant Centre, 10 Farm Road, Houghall, Durham, DH1 3SF.