Broccoli is one of the easy-growing vegetables in the Brassica family. It’s simpler than cabbage, grows much faster than cauliflower, and yields more due to the abundant side shoots that appear after the main head is harvested.
This lush green vegetable is packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene. It’s a rich fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium source. As a member of the Brassicaceae family, broccoli is closely related to cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, and collards. These crops thrive in cooler weather.
Broccoli is a perfect vegetable to enhance diversity in your garden and is an excellent choice for learning how to grow broccoli. It will allow you to harvest in early spring, and if replanted, you can harvest another badge in the fall. It allows you to extend your growing season and contribute to spring and fall farmer’s markets.
Types of Broccoli to Grow in Your Garden
Broccoli comes in two varieties: heading and sprouting. Both produce edible flowers and leaves that we can enjoy in various dishes.
Heading Broccoli
Heading broccoli is a very common type, especially in the United States. The head is actually made up of the plant’s flower buds. If left on the plant, these buds will eventually bloom into tiny yellow flowers. However, we usually harvest them while they’re still tightly closed and green or purple, enjoying them raw or cooked before they blossom.
Sprouting Broccoli
Sprouting broccoli has a similar flavor to the familiar green variety, but it produces dense purple or white heads instead. The white heads can resemble cauliflower, and the florets are generally smaller than those of traditional broccoli.
When to Grow Broccoli
Broccoli is a cool-temperature vegetable. It’s best to grow it between 50 and 70°F. While it can tolerate frost, it doesnt like warmer weather, especially when forming a head. Broccoli seeds can germinate in temperatures as low as 40°F, but this slows down the process, sometimes taking two to three times longer, depending on the variety.
This temperature preference may seem like little, but it’s one of the reasons how to grow broccoli can be challenging.
Broccoli needs at least 60 to 100 days of temperatures between 45 and 80°F to mature fully. Finding the right window for growing it in your region can be the toughest part of the process.
How to Plant Broccoli
There are many types of broccoli, each bred for specific traits like heat tolerance, disease resistance, quick growth, or long stems. One popular variety is Calabrese, an Italian heirloom known for its large, full crowns. To choose the best type for your garden, consult your local garden center.
Here’s how to grow broccoli:
Pick The Site
Broccoli needs direct sunlight. You should provide it with at least six hours of sunlight daily, and it grows best in nitrogen-rich soil with a slightly acidic pH between 6 and 7. Ensure the soil is moist but not soggy, and choose a location with good drainage (raised garden beds can help).
Prepare The Site
About a week before planting or transplanting seedlings, mix compost or organic matter into the top layer of the soil to enrich it.
Plant
Sow broccoli seeds ½ inch deep, spacing them 3 inches apart. Seedlings should be spaced about 12 inches apart. Plant in rows with 3 feet between each row for larger crowns. Closer rows will result in smaller main heads but more side shoots.
How to Care for Broccoli Plants
If you are learning how to grow broccoli, it’s also essential to learn how to care. Broccoli needs consistent watering. You should water it about an inch weekly and periodically fertilize it based on soil conditions. Avoid soaking the crowns when watering, as trapped water can lead to rot.
Mulch: Apply mulch around the base of the plants to suppress weeds.
Fertilize: Side-dress with blood meal or fertilizer to replenish nitrogen, which can help prevent yellowing leaves caused by nutrient deficiencies.
Companion planting: Aphids can damage broccoli by draining the plant’s juices. Companion planting or rinsing the leaves with soapy water can help deter them. Pests like cabbage loops, worms, larvae, and flea beetles can harm the leaves. These can be picked off manually or treated with Bacillus thuringiensis, a natural insecticide.
Use row covers: Protect young broccoli plants by covering them with floating row covers immediately after planting.
Prevent infection: watch out for clubroot. A fungal infection causes plants to wilt rapidly and develop misshapen roots. If affected, promptly remove the entire plant and root system to stop the infection from spreading.
How to Harvest Broccoli
Harvest broccoli early in the morning for the best results when the heads are tight and firm.
Watch for flower buds: The ideal time to harvest is just before the broccoli flowers. Look for tightly closed flower heads; if yellow flowers appear, harvest immediately as the quality declines from that stage.
Cut on a diagonal: Avoid a horizontal cut, which can cause water to pool on the exposed stem and lead to rot. Instead, use a sharp knife to make a diagonal cut. It allows water to run off and gives side shoots a better chance to grow.
Don’t forget the stem: Include at least 6 inches of stem with each broccoli head. Leave the side shoots to finish developing and harvest them later as they mature.
This guide on how to grow broccoli will help you enjoy a bountiful harvest!
