Brassica oleracea var. botrytis “Natalino”
Natalino Romanesco cabbage, Romanesco broccoli, Roman cauliflower: its tender green head is as much a mathematical curiosity as it is a vegetable. Each floret reproduces the shape of the whole, in spirals that follow the Fibonacci sequence — it is a natural fractal, and the only vegetable you look at before eating.
Characteristics:
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Spectacular geometry: tender green, cone-shaped head with fractal spirals.
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Delicate, sweet flavor: somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower, without bitterness.
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Ancient Italian variety, still rare at French markets.
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Autumn harvest: extends the cabbage season until the first frosts.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: sunny.
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Soil: rich in organic matter, cool, deep, and well drained. Like all cauliflowers, it is a heavy feeder: a generous application of well-rotted compost is essential. Avoid growing it where a brassica has grown during the previous three years.
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Method: sow from March to June in a nursery, covering the seeds with 2 cm of soil before watering. See how to sow seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant 5 to 6 weeks later, once several leaves have developed, spacing plants 60 cm apart. Bury them up to the first leaves and mound soil around the base.
Care advice:
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The critical point: watering must be frequent and regular, as Romanesco does not tolerate drought. One period of water stress and the head may remain tiny or fail to form. Apply a thick mulch.
- An insect-proof net installed as soon as the plants are planted prevents cabbage white butterflies and cabbage flies without treatment.
Harvesting advice:
- Harvest when the head is well formed and the spirals are clearly defined, before the florets begin to spread apart. Unlike white cauliflower, there is no need to blanch it: its green color is not affected by the sun.
- The leaves can also be cooked, like Swiss chard.
Beneficial companions:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- A head left to bolt produces a huge, extremely nectar-rich yellow inflorescence — if one escapes you, let it flower rather than pulling it out.
- Growing rare heirloom varieties directly contributes to preserving cultivated diversity.
Uses:
- Steam or roast it in whole florets to preserve its geometry, or use it in gratins, soups, or raw as an appetizer. Avoid boiling it in a large volume of water, which softens it and erases its pattern.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Let one head bolt, flower, and then form siliques, which should be harvested when brown and dry. Be aware that Brassica oleracea varieties cross very easily with one another: isolate your seed plant from other cabbages. See how to save your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
An edible fractal to grow in your vegetable garden.
