"Saxman" wrote
I've not grown early purple sprouting broccoli before and would
appreciate any tips from those who have including varieties/pests etc?

I'm no expert veg grower, but sprouting broccoli is one thing I have
grown for several years. It's a real treat when it's ready for picking -
which, having had a look at the plants basking in sunshine today, seems
to be any moment now. We did steal a few really early shoots and young
leaves about a couple of weeks ago. Heaven!

Treat broccoli plants like other brassicas i.e. prepare the ground by
digging in some compost or well rotted manure, plant deeply and firm
well in and give a bit of lime if your soil isn't over alkaline.
Broccoli can be subject to clubroot and also cabbage root fly. I use
protective collars round the stems when planting to try and prevent the
latter. It's an idea to stake the plants once they're bigger, as we find
that otherwise winter winds blow them over into drunken angles.

The two major pests IME are wood pigeons and cabbage white butterfly
caterpillars. If you don't net the plants, or keep the pigeons off in
some other way in winter, they'll strip your crop to bare stalks in next
to no time! In summer if you don't want to be checking for eggs and
caterpillars every day, you need a fine gauge net, fleece or enviromesh
to stop the butterflies getting on the plants. They can Houdini their
way inside ordinary small fruitcage-type net that you wouldn't think
they could squeeze through, as I have found out to my cost! However even
my worst 'net curtain' plants have revived with a bit of extra compost
and managed to reshoot eventually to give a decent crop.

There may be other varieties, but I grow mine from seed and as far as I
remember it didn't have any name except 'Early Purple Sprouting'.
--
Sue