How to Plant Broccoli in Containers

Broccoli is a cool-season vegetable.

Planting broccoli in the garden allows you to grow plenty of fresh broccoli for immediate consumption as well as extra to freeze and store away for later when the vegetable is out of season. If you don't have room to grow broccoli in a traditional garden bed, most varieties also grow well in container gardens. As long as you have an area that receives full sunlight, such as a patio or balcony, you can grow broccoli. Container vegetable gardens are a viable solution for apartment dwellers or those with inadequate yard space.

Things You'll Need

• Pot
• Potting mix
• Fertilizer
• Broccoli seedling

Instructions

1. Mix 1.5 tablespoons of 10-10-10 analysis fertilizer with 5 gallons of soil-less potting mix. Soil-less potting mix is sterile and well-draining, making it suitable for vegetable containers.

2. Place the potting mixture into a 5-gallon planter. Alternately, drill four, ¼-inch diameter holes in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and use this for the broccoli.

3. Dig a hole in the center of the pot that is as deep as the seedling pot the broccoli is in, and slightly wider. Set the broccoli plant into the hole so it is at the same depth as it was in its seedling pot, then refill around the plant with soil.

4. Water the container from the top until the excess moisture drains from the bottom of the pot. Immediate watering allows the broccoli roots to come in full contact with the soil around them.

5. Check the moisture level of the soil daily, and water when the surface begins to feel dry. Always water until the excess moisture begins draining from the bottom of the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• You can plant more broccoli plants in larger containers. Each plant needs 5 gallons of space, so you can plant three broccoli plants in a large 15-gallon planter.

• Harvest the central head of the broccoli when it is fully developed but before it begins to flower. Continue to care for the plant in the container and it will produce side shoots with smaller heads for later harvest.

• Plant broccoli in outdoor containers in spring two weeks before the last expected spring frost.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Container Vegetable Gardening
• North Carolina University Extension: Container Vegetable Gardening