Let’s talk about artwork broccoli.

If the aphids are kept in check then broccoli is a pretty easy thing to plant and let grow. If you’ve grown broccoli before, you know that cutting off that big beautiful head of broccoli doesn’t end the game. Side stalks continue to grow into very small heads. You can continue to harvest these small offshoots as long as the season goes on.

Artwork Broccoli

There’s a newly available broccoli variety called Artwork—a 2015 All-America Selections winner—that I’m interested in trying this spring.

This variety is great for that second flush of growth. From a cooking and culinary use standpoint, those ancillary shoots are easy to work with. There’s less chopping, first of all. The stalks also are thinner, more tender and edible. Great for stir fry.

In the garden, Artwork Broccoli is said to continue flushing with these side shoots long into the gardening season. It has better resistance to bolting during warm weather, so you can plant Artwork in spring to get that nice crown of broccoli, and then continue to harvest the shoots throughout the summer. Just make sure to fertilize!

I’d even consider planting a second batch of Artwork in late summer.