“WHILE TRADITIONAL brassica crops are fairly well-known
as everyday vegetables, this family also includes a wide range of plants
well-suited to different hydroponic production METHODS.”
BRASSICAS FOR SMALL SPACES
Apart from microgreens and baby leaf, mini brassicas are a
growing trend in the home garden and hydroponic market
and are great for those with limited space. Mini brassicas are
highly compact, often hybrid varieties that produce perfectly
formed half- to quarter-sized versions which are ideal as
baby vegetables with all the flavor and color of the full-sized
versions. These are often sold by seed companies as “single
serve” or “mini veg” and perform well in hydroponics, often
with a greatly reduced time to harvest and minimal space
footprint. For cabbage lovers, a new mini cabbage called
Caraflex is an exciting option for small hydroponic systems.
This variety has elongated, pointed heads with a crisp, succu-
lent interior perfect for salads, coleslaws, and other dishes.
TRADITIONAL BRASSICAS
Cauliflower is no longer just a large white curd, buried
beneath cheese sauce. The bright green Italian Romanesco,
or iridescent deep purple and pastel orange varieties, make
a colorful addition to hydroponic systems and are equally
delicious eaten raw or cooked. Broccoli is perhaps one of the
more diverse of the old-fashioned brassica crops. Nowadays,
standard head broccoli has been joined by a range of
broccoli types including Raab, leaf, sprouting, and Chinese
broccoli — each with their own culinary uses. Sprouting
broccoli, which is available as both green and intense purple
types, produces many small individual florets rather than a
single head. Being very tender, sprouting broccoli may be
eaten raw, steamed, or sautéed and has become a popular
winter vegetable. Leaf broccoli is another option well-suited
to small hydroponic systems, although lesser known as a
culinary vegetable. Fancy leaf broccoli types may be grown
as a baby leaf salad vegetable or larger leaves grown for
their sweet, classical broccoli flavor, which is a traditional
specialty vegetable of southern Italy.
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Maximum Yield
Top: Mini red cabbage growing in a deep flow hydroponic system.
Bottom: Mustard brassicas are grown for their attractive leaves
and spicy flavor.