I've been wanting to try Cima di Rapa but I've yet to find it at the local Whole Foods or Maui farmers markets. So, I decided to plant it in my fall/winter garden.
Cima di Rapa is known by several names - the most common are Broccoli Rabe, Rape and Rapini. Cima di Rapa means turnip top in Italian. I planted seeds in October, December and early January. The first variety I grew was a quarantina, or 40 day, and the center flower stalk was ready to harvest at 45 days from seed.
One of Cima di Rapa's best assets was that it didn't attract cabbageworms and I didn't have to cover the plants with row covers or tulle. The flower-heads look like broccoli side shoots but they don't taste like broccoli. They have a stronger and somewhat mustard green like flavor.
Cima di Rapa required our coolest temps as the heat increased it's bitterness. I found the best time to plant the quarantina was in December as the October crop was too bitter. There are 40, 60, 90 and even longer day varieties of Cima di Rapa. To avoid bitter flowerettes, I suggest timing the planting of the different varieties so they produce the flower-heads in our coolest weather.
Cima di Rapa
Producing side shoots
Six days after cutting the center flower stalk lots of side shoots were ready. Like broccoli, the Cima di Rapa flowerettes will bolt rapidly. When the center flower-head begins to form, I recommend checking it every day and cutting it before it reaches the stage of developing tiny yellow flowers.
90 days
I also planted Rapini seeds that I purchased from Baker Creek. It looked like the Cima di Rapa quarantina but the plants were larger and took 3 months to produce their first flower stalk. The Rapini I planted must have been a noventina or 90 day variety. It produced larger flower-heads that didn't bolt as rapidly as the quarantina.
A Rapini flower-head
Cima di Rapa quarantina grew about as large as a typical broccoli plant but Rapini was similar in size to a Piracicaba broccoli. All of varieties I've grown can be planted in 10 to 15 gallon size containers. The plants grew well in full sun and needed daily water.
Gardeners who love Cima di Rapa, and live in a 4 season climate, plant seeds of the 40, 60 or 90+ day varieties at the same time for continuous harvesting throughout the growing season.
Cima di Rapa
Riccia di S. Marzano was a unique and lovely sessantina. At 65 days the plant was 3 ft tall and produced a center flower stalk and slender side-shoots with delicately curled leaves.
Gourmet Seed and Seeds From Italy have large selections of Cima di Rapa seeds from the different regions of Italy. Rapini seeds are available from
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
How to Grow Cima di Rapa
Tips for Preparing Rapini
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
How to Grow Cima di Rapa
Tips for Preparing Rapini
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