With Two C’s for Two Crops

Another cool season veggie that loves the sunshine, broccoli can also attract the same pests as cabbage and cauliflower, so it’s best not to plant them together.  If you’ve got the right climate for it, you may be able to get two crops, as you can plant it in the spring and in the fall. Consider planting beans and cucumbers near your broccoli and as a border between that and your cabbage and cauliflower.

HOW MANY BROCCOLI SEEDS / PLANTS TO START

Start by determining the space you want to use to grow broccoli in.  The space requirements for broccoli are again, very similar to cabbage, and you’ll need about 24″ per healthy plant.  If you’ve got a 4′ x 4′ space, you’ll have room for 4 nice big plants.  You’ll want to start atleast 4 plants indoors, but err on the side of caution, and give yourself 50% more plants, so in this case 6 plants.  Now, for each plant you start, start atleast 3 seeds.  You will end up thinning out the smallest and sickliest looking seedlings – so in this situation, you’ll want, 6 plants x 3 seeds for each initial seedling, therefore you’ll need to start with 18 seeds.  You can usually buy them in packages of 20, 50 and 100.  

VEGETABLE PLANTING SCHEDULE FOR BROCCOLI

• Start broccoli seeds indoors 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost. Start broccoli seeds indoors 12 to 14 weeks before first fall frost ( or mid summer) for fall plantings
• Harden off plants over the course of a week.
• Till aged manure or compost into your garden soil
• Transplant to your garden after plants are hardened off, and danger of frost has passed, 12 to 24 inches apart in rows
• Soil needs be moist.
• Add mulch to conserve moisture.

GARDEN GROWING TIPS FOR BROCCOLI

• Choose a spot that has full sun, for a large part of the day
• Mulch thickly to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. They like a lot of water.
• Although cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are closely related, they are all heavy feeders, and attract the same pests and diseases. Don’t plants them together.
• Broccoli can be grown near beans and cucumbers.  
• Take care not to disturb the roots

HARVESTING TIPS FOR BROCCOLI

• Harvest broccoli when the buds of the head are firm and tight before the heads flower or if there are yellow petals.
• Cut heads from the plant taking a good part of the stem as well
• 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.

Get your printable Planting Schedule -Starting Indoors – for reference and to help keep you on track, and check out these other gardening posts to help you get the most out of your garden

Starting Seedlings , Laying out your Plot, Maintenance Planners, Journals, Planting Schedules for Direct Seeding, and Planting Schedules for Starting Seeds Indoors and don’t forget our growing tips for cabbage and cauliflower.