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GROWING BROCCOLI

Growing broccoli in your vegetable garden is very rewarding. It is a very tasty vegetable, high in vitamin C, low in kilojoules and research has shown that, as with other members of the brassica family, it has cancer fighting properties.

Coronado Crown Hybrid Broccoli
To give you great results for your endeavors always prepare your soil and choose a site that has good drainage and gets full sun (although some shade is tolerated). The ideal soil is reasonably heavy, rich in nutrients and well-dug. Ensure you follow the basics of crop rotation to avoid disease and never put any member of the brassica family, (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage or swede) in the same plot for the following 3 to 4 seasons. Your soil pH should be in the range 6.2 and 7.2 with a neutral of 7.0 being ideal.

When growing broccoli you have a large selection of seed to choose from; the time of sowing will depend on the variety. You can sow them indoors or in a greenhouse to get your season off to a flying start, or directly in to your prepared plot in the garden, just make sure you read the instructions on the back of the  packet as to when to do this. It’s possible to start sowing a month earlier than directed on the packet by using a garden cloche or Poly Tunnel.  To do this, place the cloche over the soil a couple of weeks prior to putting in your seed so as to warm the ground up.

Burpee Veg Garden

Sow the seed about 3 inches apart in rows which are 2 foot apart. Cover with half an inch of prepared soil and water well. It takes about two weeks for germination and when the seedlings appear, thin them to 18 inches apart. If you are growing broccoli from seed indoors they will be ready to harden off and transplant outside in 4-6 weeks.

When the seedlings have six or so leaves, give them a feed and water in well if rain is not forecast within the next 24 hours. If buying them already grown to this stage make sure they are strong and sturdy. During dry weather make sure the ground doesn’t  dry out, this is particularly important when the heads are forming. Keeping the surrounding soil well composted will help deter weeds and retain precious water.

Growing broccoli produces heads which are the flower of the plant so make sure you harvest them when they are compact, after about 40-80 days of planting out depending on variety, otherwise they will open out into yellow flowers and go to seed. Cut the heads with about 5-6 inches of stem to encourage side shoots for continued harvest.

When considering growing broccoli, remember that it is a cool season vegetable. Planting in spring gives a summer crop, however if the temperature rises too much it will bolt. Best results point to a late summer or early autumn planting which will supply you with harvests over the winter; heads that mature during cool weather are sweeter tasting than those picked at any other time. Sow seeds about 3 months before the first frosts, the plants are frost hardy and perform best with temperatures less than 80 degrees F.

Growing broccoli is a really easy to care for vegetable, however if your plant has an array of great looking leaves but spindly flower heads you probably have too much nitrogen in the soil. Test the soil and neutralise its acidity by adding lime. When cultivating, this should only be done to control weeds and then be sure that the cultivation is very shallow.

When growing broccoli in your garden you will not encounter too many pests although it can be attacked by aphids, caterpillars, harlequin bugs, slugs and snails or flea beetles. Most of these can be controlled by hand picking or spraying with insecticidal soap.


Check out the other vegetables which will grow well in your garden.