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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Broccoli
Planting
Broccoli should be planted in a site that gets full sun (6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day). Lack of sunlight may produce thin, leggy plants and subpar heads.
Plant in a bed of moist, fertile soil that drains well. To increase fertility before you plant, in early spring, work in 2 to 4 inches of rich compost (humus) or a thin layer of manure. The soil pH should ideally be slightly acidic, between 6.0 and 7.0.
When to Plant Broccoli
- Broccoli is a cool-season crop, so it should be started in early- to mid-spring (depending on your climate) for an early summer crop or in mid- to late summer for a fall crop. High temperatures will affect the development of the broccoli head (the harvestable part), so the goal is to get broccoli to mature before or after high temperatures are expected.
- Broccoli seeds are capable of germinating in soil temperatures as low as 40掳F (4掳C), but warmer soil is preferred and will greatly speed up development.
- For spring plantings, broccoli may be started indoors or outdoors a few weeks ahead of your last spring frost date. Consult our Planting Calendar to see recommended dates for your area. Generally speaking:
- Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date.
- Sow seeds outdoors 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost date, or as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.
- For fall plantings (best in warm climates), sow seeds outdoors 85 to 100 days before the first fall frost, when soil and ambient temperatures are high.
How to Plant Broccoli
- If starting seeds outdoors, sow seeds 1/2-inch deep and 3 inches apart.
- Once seedlings reach a height of& 2 to 3 inches, thin them so that plants are 12 to 20 inches apart.
- If you started seeds indoors, plant transplants that are 4 to 6 weeks old (and have 4 or 5 leaves) outdoors, 12 to 20 inches apart, in holes slightly deeper than their container depth.
- Space rows of broccoli 3 feet apart. (Closer spacing yields smaller main heads but more secondary heads.)
- Water well at the time of planting.
Video Demo of Sowing Broccoli
For those who wish to start sowing in pots, watch Ben in this video show you how it鈥檚 done! See the whole process from sowing to transplanting to broccoli care and harvesting.
Growing
- Plants thrive in temperatures between 65掳 and 70掳F (18掳 and 21掳C).
- Fertilize broccoli three weeks after transplanting seedlings into the garden. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as a 5-10-10 formula.
- Thin when young plants reach 2 to 3 inches tall. Plants should be between 12 and 20 inches apart.
- Provide consistent soil moisture with regular watering, especially in drought conditions. Water at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches per week.
- Do not get developing broccoli heads wet when watering, as it can encourage rot.
- Roots are very shallow, so try not to disturb the plants鈥攕uffocate weeds with mulch instead of weeding.
- Mulching around plants will also help to keep soil temperatures down.
- Use row covers to minimize pests.
- To promote the growth of a second head after the first has been harvested, maintain an active feeding and watering schedule.
Harvesting
- Harvest broccoli in the morning, when the buds of the head are firm and tight, just before the heads flower.
- If you do see yellow petals, harvest immediately, as the quality will decrease rapidly.
- Cut heads from the plant, taking at least 6 inches of stem. Make a slanted cut on the stalk to allow water to slide away. (Water can pool and rot the center of a flat-cut stalk, ruining the secondary heads.)
- Most varieties have side-shoots that will continue to develop after the main head is harvested. You can harvest from one plant for many weeks, in some cases, from spring to fall, if your summer isn鈥檛 too hot.
- Learn more tips on harvesting broccoli.
How to Store Broccoli
- Store broccoli in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you wash before storing, make sure to dry it thoroughly.
- Broccoli can be blanched and frozen for up to one year. Learn how to freeze broccoli.
Cooking Notes
One ounce of broccoli has an equal amount of calcium as one ounce of milk. Learn more about the amazing health benefits of broccoli.
Catherine Boeckmann
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I planted Broccoli plants this spring. They never did head ,just kept growing leaves.Now its fall and they are still alive and huge with no broccoli. Will they eventually head this fall since they didnt die, or should I cut them to the ground and see if they will regrow?
Small broccoli heads are a common problem, we're afraid.
Broccoli is a cool weather crop. Warm weather makes the plant flower (or bolt). However, you do need 55 to 60 days of cool weather for the plant to mature. Specifically, the temperatures need to be between 65 and 80 degrees鈥攏o cooler, no warmer. Yes, broccoli is very very picky with a narrow window for planting! (See our planting chart for dates that fit your area.)
When you plant broccoli, it's great that you added lots of organic matter. We might advise mixing in some fertilizer that's heavier on the nitrogen; this feeds a fast-growing head. It sounds as if you were supplying a constant stream of water for moist soil--also important.
Broccoli in the garden will never match what's in the grocery store, though it tastes much better.
At this point, you can cut the flowers off and the main head and see if your plant will grow some bite-size side heads.
We're impressed by your diligence. Gardening is a never-ending learning curve. If we may, we'd suggest an easier plant next year? See this article:
http://www.almanac.com/vegetable-garden-planning-for-beginners
is it ok to plant broccoli/brussel sprouts/garlic in a mini plastic green house ? im new to the whole gardening thing
There's no reason you can't use a greenhouse, but keep in mind that broccoli thrives in cool weather.
help! my broccoli is now at about 110 days. i have one plant that has formed a floret. it looks healthy, tight and compact but it is yellow, very yellow. it was yellow when i first spotted it 3 days ago when the size of a marble. it has doubled in size in the last 3 days. it still looks very healthy about the size of a tennis ball and still very compact. but it is still yellow. am i just being impatient? or do i have a problem?
Hi, Todd: You may have a problem or two, but we don't think that impatience is one of them. It's hard to tell what is going on here without knowing where you are, what variety you planted, and so forth, but it's probably time to think about another planting for fall. Your plants may have gotten too hot, but the fact that your first little floret was yellow from the get-go tells us that this may be a nitrogen deficiency and not just that your plant is going to seed. Make sure that your soil is neutral to slightly acidic, with plenty of nitrogen and not too much phosphorus. Use the Frost Dates calculator under Gardening above to get the probable date of your first frost, then count backward 100 days from then to plant. With the right soil, we think you'll do better in the coolness.
My broccoli seeds, direct sow, have not come up after 14 days. I fertilized and prepared the soil and watered weekly and had one decent rain since planting. Found root fragments from a former tree when preparing soil. All of my other direct sow seeds are up and I plan to thin them soon. Any suggestions or am I just impatient?
I planted my broccoli the end of March, the leaves are huge and over 2ft tall now but still no heads. The soil is good manure compost, I fertilize with MG every 2-3 weeks and water as needed. All of my other crops are growing great just my broccoli has no heads. Is there anything I can do?
One thing about Broccoli is that the leaves are great to eat as well. So even if you aren't getting heads, don't fret because the leaves are excellent. Look online for lots of ideas on how to prepare. We used them msinly for blended drinks and saut茅ed/stir fried.
Depending on the variety you have, and whether you planted by seeds or transplants, it might just be that they aren't ready to form the heads yet. Some take more than 10 or 12 weeks.
Another possibility is that the plants are getting too much nitrogen, which encourages leaf growth over flowers (the heads). Depending on the formula of Miracle Gro that you are using, it tends to have higher nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium. Broccoli is a heavy feeder, but it's best to use a balanced organic or slow-release fertilizer if you are applying it every few weeks. Otherwise, too much nitrogen may result in hollow stems and may discourage heading. If you choose a fertilizer high in nitrogen, you might try only applying it about 3 or 4 weeks after transplanting, a smaller amount when the heads are just developing, and then after you harvest the main head (to encourage small side shoots to grow, which you can also harvest). (Before planting, the soil should be amended with composted manure or similar to provide rich nutrients.)
Hot temperatures may also prevent heads to develop, or encourage the plant to bolt (form a flower stalk immediately instead of first developing compact heads).
