Have you seen a vegetable that demonstrates fractal geometry at its finest? Romanesco broccoli is not only cool to look at, it’s easy to grow and delicious. In this article, plant expert Matt Dursum shows you how to plant, grow, and care for this unique Brassica. If you’ve ever been to the farmers’ market, you’ve probably seen a broccoli-like vegetable that can only be described as ‘trippy. ’ The psychedelic romanesco broccoli is also known as Romanesque cauliflower. It’s bright chartreuse and has fractal spirals of flower buds radiating through the flower head. It’s a cultivar of Brassica oleracea, which includes common broccoli and cauliflower. Instead of producing typical-looking clusters of flowers, this Brassica forms stunning fractals that spiral logarithmically. Besides looking cool, it’s also quite delicious and nutritious. It’s full of vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber. It tastes slightly sweet and nutty, with a hint of cauliflower flavor. If you’re looking for an unusual yet versatile vegetable to grow this year, try planting Romanesco broccoli. It’s easy to grow, even if you’re a novice gardener. Let’s find out more about this fantastic vegetable below. What Is It? Romanesco broccoli is an Italian vegetable with mind-bending fractal leaf designs. The buds form clusters around branched meristems that radiate out in self-similar patterns. Each flower spirals from the head in a Fibonacci sequence. The mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci first recognized the pattern in nature in the 13th century. A recent study found that before becoming flowers, the buds keep producing stems instead. Each stem produces more flower buds until the head of a Romanesco broccoli forms. This Italian variety produces buds more rapidly as it grows, creating a spiral pattern. Today, farmers and gardeners around the country are growing this unique vegetable. Many chefs and home cooks use it as an eye-catching and nutritious ingredient. Each head is packed with vitamins C, K, B, and fiber. It also contains the rare and brain-healthy compound called choline. Characteristics This beautiful relative of broccoli and cauliflower is chartreuse green and oddly shaped. Each head can weigh up to 5 pounds. It produces dark greenish leaves with a slight blue hue, similar to broccoli. In its early stages of growth, it’s hard to tell it apart from its cousins. It has a slightly sweeter and nuttier flavor than cauliflower. It softens when cooked and has a nice crunchy texture when eaten raw. Use it as a main ingredient for vegetable tempura or in salads, stir-fries, and soups. It’s also a great way to decorate your plate in psychedelic patterns. Native Area Gardeners around Rome cultivated this heirloom Brassica, likely starting in the 15th or 16th centuries. The vegetable remained popular in central Italy until it slowly gained popularity in the rest of Europe and the US. It appeared in gardening books and culinary texts throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The first records of it in the US came in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it grows around the world as a novelty vegetable and ingredient. You’ll find it in farmers’ markets and specialty grocery stores. If you can grow cauliflower or broccoli in your garden, you can grow this beautiful vegetable without problems. Planting Like its cousins broccoli and cauliflower, you’ll have no problems planting Romanesco broccoli. It thrives in containers or garden beds with very little maintenance needed. All you need to grow these cool-looking plants is plenty of sun and well-drained soil. Once your seedlings are started, it’s super easy to get this vegetable in the ground. Plant your seedlings when they’re 4 to 6 inches high. Like other vegetables, try planting your Romanesco plants in succession. Successive planting is when you plant the same seeds at different intervals throughout the year. This lets you continuously harvest your crops throughout the year. Start in spring by planting your first crop. Seed a new batch of seedlings indoors every 2 to 4 weeks. Once you harvest your first crop, you’re second crop will be growing strong. In regions with warmer winters, you can start your seeds in the fall for a winter crop. How to Grow As mentioned above, Romanesco broccoli is easy to grow. It’s one of the best crops to grow in succession and pairs nicely with other cruciferous vegetables. It works in containers such as these or in your garden bed. These plants thrive in temperatures between 60 and 80°F (16-27°C). If you live in a hot climate, try starting them early in the season and late in the season. In cooler regions, you can grow them all summer long. Maintenance This vegetable is very easy to maintain. It doesn’t require the self-wrapping or tying methods of blanching that cauliflower needs. Watch for signs of diseases and pests, and keep your plants out of high heat. This should be enough care to grow these wonderful vegetables.

Look to ‘Black Krim,’ one of the earliest “black” tomato varieties, for an heirloom tomato rich in color and flavor. This strong performer yields hefty slicing tomatoes in rich rose and deep purple tones. Explore the heirloom qualities and how-to’s of ‘Black Krim’ with garden expert Katherine Rowe. ‘Black Krim’ tomatoes bring bold heirloom color, flavor, and performance to the slicing tomato. Depending on weather conditions, hefty fruits ripen to deep purple or dusky rose. The unique color, form, and flavor of this “black” tomato make the heirloom noteworthy in the garden. These beautiful, beefsteak-sized fruits have dark flesh with deep, juicy interiors and a balanced, rich, sweet, and salty flavor. Let’s explore the heirloom traits and growing qualities of ‘Black Krim’ for an exciting twist on the summer slicer. What are ‘Black Krim’Tomatoes? This is an heirloom tomato variety with large, flavorful, beefsteak-type fruits. Its origin is as interesting as its color and form. ‘Black Krim’ is a selection in Krymsk, Russia, on the Black Sea across from the Crimean Peninsula. Synonyms include ‘Black Crimea.’ The first commercially available “black” tomato, Seed Savers Exchange introduced it in 1990 after receiving seeds initially from Crimea from Lars Olov Rosenstrom of Sweden. A few years later, the popular heirloom black tomato ‘Cherokee Purple’ came into cultivation. Heirloom varieties span generations because of their flavor, growth, unique fruits, and performance qualities. This variety is notable for hefty, colorful fruits with a rich, slightly salty flavor. Characteristics This indeterminate tomato grows and produces fruits throughout the season until frost. It fruits reliably and productively, with meaty tomatoes that weigh 10 to 12 ounces each. The long, leafy vines that reach six feet or more. In cool climates, the large fruits ripen to dusky rose and chocolate with green shoulders. They’ll turn deep purple-black in more sun and heat, but the sweet, salty flavor remains. The round fruits have squatty, flat tops. ‘Black Krim’ fruits late in the season, yielding mature tomatoes 70 to 90 days after transplanting into the garden. With its tall, continually growing vines, it needs a large tomato cage, stake, or trellis for support. Native Area Before ‘Black Krim’ grew near Russia and Ukraine, its wild ancestors hailed from faraway Central and South American coasts. Their original growing range is the narrow coastline below the Andes Mountains from Ecuador to Chile. Tomato cultivation spread regionally through indigenous cultures and then through Spanish colonists returning to Europe with the fruits. A few centuries later, it became significant in culinary uses. These are tender perennials in regions where they are hardy (USDA zones 10 and 11) and grow as warm-season annuals elsewhere. They belong to the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, along with peppers, eggplants, and potatoes, among numerous other plants. Planting These plants are frost-sensitive and require warm air and soil temperatures for best growth. They grow easily from seed, with seedlings ready to move outdoors a week or two after the last frost and as nighttime temperatures are above 55°F (13°C). Growth takes off with warming summer temperatures. When deciding where to plant, if possible, opt for a spot where you haven’t grown nightshades in the past year. Nightshades like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and eggplants transmit diseases among the group. Crop rotation helps prevent the spread of any lingering fungus or bacteria in the soil. Plant seedlings two to three feet apart to provide ample air circulation between plants. If growing in rows, space the rows three to four feet apart. Plant tomato seedlings deep, leaving a third of the stem exposed (or two sets of leaves) with the rest buried. The covered leaf nodes and hairs grow roots to aid plant stability and nutrient uptake. At planting, install the upright support structure like a large tomato cage. How to Grow This large tomato grows best with certain cultural needs fulfilled. However, it’s also an adaptable variety that withstands less-than-ideal conditions. ‘Black Krim’ is a productive and reliable fruiter. Maintenance In addition to meeting basic cultural requirements, an important step is mulching, which helps with moisture retention, weed suppression, and soil temperature regulation. Clean, weed-free straw, compost, leaf mold, or aged woodchips do the job. Pruning is unnecessary, but as large, indeterminate plants, they benefit from pinching off low-growing, suckering offshoots to direct nutrients and growth to the upper parts of the plant. To increase air circulation at the base of plants, some gardeners find it helpful to pinch off the lower six to ten inches of growth along stems. Do this when plants reach two feet tall.

Companion planting herbs allows plants to deter pests, enhance pollination, and improve soil health, Daniel Powers, founder of The Botanical Institute, says. It also leads to a lusher and a more aromatic garden all season long, “As long as you pay attention to plant families, the size of your chosen herbs, their heat tolerance and sun requirements, and if they are annual or perennial, you can mix and match according to your preferred flavors, garden space and climate,” Tanja Eskildsen, an adaptation gardener and owner of the seed shop, Perennial Vegetables, says. To find out what herbs can be planted together, read on to learn about 14 possible herb combinations. Meet the Expert Daniel Powers is the founder of The Botanical Institute. Tanja Eskildsen is an adaptation gardener and owner of the seed shop, Perennial Vegetables, Herbs That Can Be Planted Together Chives and Parsley Some herbs when grown together can boost each other’s flavor. Planting chives near parsley, for example, can improve parsley’s overall taste, as chives offer a more pungent tang to parsley. Powers explains how chives also help repel aphids and beetles which will benefit delicate parsley plants. Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best-growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more! Lavender and Rosemary Lavender and rosemary offer splendid blooms and love the same growing conditions: full sun and well-drained soil. So, growing these plants together is ideal because you won't need to worry about having to complete two different growing methods. Meanwhile, the pretty flowers usher in a pop of color to your garden. Basil and Oregano According to Powers, both plants can keep away pests. Basil can help repel mosquitoes, spider mites, and aphids. While oregano also has a strong scent that keeps pests away. “Both plants enjoy similar growing conditions too,” Powers says. Chives and Rosemary Sometimes herbs should be planted together because they have different root depths. This includes chives and rosemary, Powers says. By having differing root depths, both plants won't need to compete for resources like water. Sage and Thyme Thyme is a good companion plant with almost all herbs, but especially sage because both prefer less water. Thyme likes fast-draining soil whereas sage prefers drought-like conditions. Lavender and Sage Both plants prefer dry and sunny growing conditions, which is perfect because not many herbs thrive in hot climates and handle less water, Eskildsen explains. At the same time, lavender can also help repel animals such as deer and rabbits that like to nibble on sage, making these two plants even better for each other. Marjoram and Basil Occasionally, one plant might support the other more. Marjoram, for example, can improve the flavor and growth of basil, Powers says. Marjoram is a herb with a sweet citrus smell and taste, so growing it next to basil can make basil taste a bit sweeter. However, both herbs can create a more aromatic environment in a common vegetable garden, discouraging pests in the process. Thus, either plant can make a great addition to the garden. Cilantro and Dill Cilantro and dill can both attract beneficial insects like pollinators and predatory insects that control pest populations for each other, Powers says. For example, hoverflies are drawn to cilantro, and their larvae eat aphids, a common antagonist in any healthy garden. Parsley and Chervil Parsley, a flowering herb, and chervil, a member of the parsley family, are good garden companions because they like similar growing conditions. “Parsley can help enhance chervil’s growth and flavor, as they enjoy similar light and water conditions,” Powers says. Thyme and Rosemary Thyme and rosemary, both Mediterranean plants, thrive in dry, well-drained soil. Being planted together can help create a microclimate that suits their needs, Powers says. Not to mention, thyme repels cabbage worms and other pests of common garden plants. Dill and Chives Chives, like onions, have a pungent smell and taste, which repels pests like aphids, a common garden bug. Meanwhile, dill’s yellow flowers will draw in pollinators like butterflies and bees to your garden. Together, these herbs make a great team repelling and attracting different insects to your garden. Tarragon and Oregano Tarragon and oregano are both herbs with dainty flowers that offer lots of aroma. While both are indeed aesthetically pleasing, these two plants also prefer the same sun exposure and soil conditions, making them great companion plants in the garden. “These two plants can also benefit from each other’s presence by repelling a variety of pests due to their strong scents,” Powers says. Garlic and Rosemary Rosemary strengthens garlic’s flavor. Not to mention, both herbs also have a strong scent that deters many garden pests. These herbs also require the same soil conditions, so there's no need to maintain the plants in different flower beds. Since garlic loves sunshine and less water, rosemary makes for a great companion plant because it can quickly adapt and thrive. Marjoram and Chives Approximating the smell and appearance of green onions, chives have smaller flowers and leaves. This means they need less space in the garden while their strong odor repels many pests from the rest of your garden plants. Meanwhile, the citrus flavor of marjoram subtly sweetens the chives’ flavor. What Herbs Shouldn’t Be Planted Together Mint and most garden plants: According to Powers, mint can be incredibly invasive and can quickly overtake neighboring plants, robbing them of space, nutrients, and water. If you choose to grow mint, keep it in a separate container. Fennel and most herbs: Fennel is unfriendly to most other plants because it secretes a substance that can inhibit the growth of other plants around it, Powers says. It’s best to plant this herb away from others. Cilantro and Tarragon: These herbs prefer different growing conditions. For example, cilantro likes cooler temperatures and can flower quickly in warmer weather, while tarragon thrives in warm, dry conditions, Powers says. Planting these herbs together can make it difficult to keep each herb happy. Basil and Sage: These plants prefer different soil conditions. Basil loves moist soil and more frequent watering, while sage prefers well-drained, drier soil. Powers explains. Growing these together makes it so neither receives its optimal growing conditions. Peppermint and Parsley: Peppermint, like mint, tends to take over with a sprawling root system. This is why peppermint can overwhelm parsley, a single-root plant. Lemon balm and most garden plants: According to Eskildsen, lemon balm is an aggressive grower and will dominate a space. Additional Tips for a Thriving Herb Garden Know the Final Size of Your Herbs Some herbs grow into tall bushes and others stay low to the ground, Eskildsen says. Eskildsen recommends planting your tallest herbs in the background and the smaller ones in front or around it. This will help make sure each plant has enough light and make harvesting a lot easier. Identify If It's an Annual or Perennial “Some herbs you only need to plant once and others you plant every season,” Eskildsen says. To help organize your herb garden, it’s good to know if your herbs will grow in the same spot for many years or only one season, meaning it will have to be switched out for another herb eventually. Mix Shade and Sun-Loving Plants Appropriately Eskildsen explains how sun-loving and shade-tolerant plants grow well together as long as you plant the shade-tolerant plants under a taller sun-loving plant. “The foliage of the taller herb will gently shade the herb underneath allowing you maximum use of garden space," Eskildsen says.