Brassicas
Broccoli
Main head then side shoots; fall crop is cleaner.
- Indoors
- 6 to 8 wk (late Mar) spring; mid Jun for fall
- Outside
- Transplant
- Where
- Raised bed or in ground
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Every 3 to 4 days in July; a dry check makes buttons
- Harvest
- 60 to 85 days
Care
- Water
- Every 3 to 4 days in July and August, every 5 to 7 in spring and fall. A long soak at the base until the top few inches are wet, then let it dry before the next. Keep it even; a young plant checked dry even once buttons instead of forming a full crown.
- Sow
- In cells in late March for spring, again in mid June for fall: 2 seeds a quarter inch deep per cell, keep the stronger. Set plants a foot to eighteen inches apart in the bed, rows two to three feet apart.
- Start inside
- No heat mat; at room temperature they sprout in 1 to 2 weeks. Under the lights as they break ground, 14 to 16 hours. Spring plants out in May, the fall round in August; do not rush them into a cold snap.
- Feed
- A shovel of compost or castings worked in at planting starts the bed, but keep the nitrogen modest, since too much runs the stems hollow. A heavy feeder still, so side-dress with Garden-tone, up to a third cup a plant, once the plant is four inches tall.
- Ready
- Take the central head while its beads stay tight and green, ahead of any yellowing; the plant then throws side shoots for weeks after.
- Trouble
- Buttoning, a tiny head on a small plant: growth stalled by cold or a dry check, keep it fed and evenly watered. Cabbageworms matching the stems: net at transplant, Bt when frass shows, and a saltwater soak clears the head.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 5–7 gal bag.
- Water
- Daily in July and August; bags dry far faster than a bed. 30 to 40 sec on the shower dial until it runs from the seams.
- Feed
- Top-dress monthly; every watering leaches the bag.
- Sow
- One plant per bag.
Broccoli gets two seasons here, a spring round cutting in June and a cleaner fall round from September. Fall gets the vote, since cool nights mean tighter heads and fewer worms.
Growing
Start spring plants indoors in late March, six to eight weeks ahead, and transplant into the bed in May. Sow the fall round in mid June, transplant in August, and let the heads form in September and October as nights cool, which is when broccoli is easiest to grow well. Rich soil and an even drink throughout, because broccoli keeps score: one hard check while the plant is young and it finishes at a button instead of a head. Cut the main head while the beads are tight, then leave the plant for weeks of side shoots.
Varieties
Belstar handles both slots; Green Magic is the fast one for spring; De Cicco is an old Italian type that trades the big head for a long run of shoots.
Pests
The white cabbage butterflies find broccoli first, and their green worms match the stems exactly, usually announcing themselves at dinner. Netting at transplant prevents the whole problem; Bt handles an outbreak. A saltwater soak before cooking evicts anyone who made it into the head.
In the kitchen
Main heads roast dark at high heat. The side-shoot trickle arrives conveniently stir-fry sized, and blanched florets freeze well enough to be worth the pot.