How to Grow Tasty Broccoli

Broccoli is a cool-season plant.

Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and contains plenty of healthy vitamins A, C and D. It is also full of potassium, folic acid, calcium, iron and fiber. Broccoli contains cancer fighting agents, or antioxidants, such as beta carotene and lutein. Fresh broccoli is much tastier than that from the market, and it is available year-round, you can get two crops each year, peak season is October to April. Growing broccoli is a straight-forward process.

Things You'll Need

• Potting soil
• Fertilizer
• Compost
• Gardening tools
• Cardboard tubes
• Scissors
• Knife

Instructions

1. Fill trays with seed-starting mix. Water until the soil is moist. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep, three months before the last frost in your region. Plant seeds for fall gardens, four months before your first frost in the fall, directly in the soil.

2. Clear the soil and dig in plenty of fertilizer and compost before planting. Broccoli does not grow well in poor soil, as it is a heavy feeder. Choose a sunny location and soil that holds moisture well. Avoid growing broccoli near other plants to prevent plant competition. Broccoli requires lots of nutrient and is a slow grower.

3. Trim thin cardboard rolls, such as a kitchen towel or toilet paper rolls into 2-inch segments. Put the pieces over the broccoli seedlings to stop cutworms and in their tracks. Insert the cardboard rolls about 1 inch into the soil, every 3 inches down the row.

4. Transplant the young broccoli inside the ring to keep cutworms from reaching the plants.

5. Keep soil moist and water frequently especially when broccoli head is developing. Use lots of nitrogen fertilizer to promote growth.

6. Remove green cabbage worms by hand if present. The green cabbage worm is also a common pest to broccoli. Use Bt, a biological control substance, for heavy infestations.

7. Allow the broccoli head to grow until it forms a compact head of tiny green buds. Use a sharp knife and cut the base of the head from the plant.

8. Rinse the vegetable for a few minutes before using and soak the entire bunch in cold water for about 20 minutes to drown any worms that may be hiding.

Tips & Warnings

• Select a variety that best suits your taste and conditions. Packman Hybrid, for instance, tolerates heat and takes around 55 days to harvest; Cruiser prefers cooler climate and takes 58 days to mature; while Green Goliath can be planted any time of year and is ready to harvest about 60 days.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Broccoli
• Ohio State University Extension: Growing Broccoli and Cauliflower in the Home Garden