Growing Broccoli - How to Grow the Best Broccoli Around

Tips and advice on growing broccoli successfully. It is rich in vitamin C, protein, fibre and flavour and has many uses in the kitchen. We will show you how to grow broccoli successfully with this step-by-step guide.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Introduction

Broccoli is a super food that is grown as an annual and can be purchased either as seed or as seedlings from your local nursery. If you plant them from seed, expect the seedlings to emerge within 6-10 day of planting. They should be ready for harvesting within 8-10 weeks of planting, depending of course on the climatic conditions at the time and the variety of what you have chosen.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Climate

Broccoli needs to mature during the cooler times of the year and is not very suitable for hot, tropical areas that don't get a cold winter. In temperate areas they need to be planted out by mid-autumn. Therefore, the planting of seed should be done in February, in the Southern Hemisphere and by August in the Northern Hemisphere.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Soil Conditions

Broccoli likes to be grown in full sun, in a soil that is light, rich in organic matter and moist but not wet. Dig the soil over well so that it is dug down to a depth of 25 cm. The add generous amounts of farmyard manure, compost, and blood and bone.

Like most leave vegetables Broccoli likes to have an alkaline soil, with a pH of 6.5. This can be achieved by adding lime at the suggested rate given on the bag. Dig the lime in well, water in well and leave the bed for at least a week before planting out your seedlings.

GROWING BROCCOLI: How to Grow Broccoli from Seed in Trays

Although seeds can be planted directly into the prepared bed, I prefer to use seed trays, although this is just personal choice. When thinking about your family needs, 10 plants would be more than enough for the average-sized family.

Seeds should be sown in seed trays to a depth of 6mm and covered lightly with seed raising mix or sand and vermiculite, or sand mixed with a light soil. Mist well, with water, and place some sheets of wet newspaper on the top. Keep wet and remove once the seeds start germinating. Once the seedlings have grown to a height of 10 cm it is time to transplant them. Before planting them out however, just check to see if they have a growing tip, or central bud. If they don't, discard these as these plants are 'blind' and won't come to anything.

GROWING BROCCOLI: How to sow Broccoli Directly

Using something to make a depression in the soil to a depth of 1.5 cm and place 2-3 seed in each hole, at 50 cm apart. Cover the hole with soil and water well with a fine spray so as not to dislodge your seeds. When the seedlings emerge and are 10 cm in height, choose the strongest of the plants and discard the rest, leaving just one plant per hole.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Cultivation

Once a fortnight feed your broccoli with a liquid fertilizer; seaweed, manure tea, nettle tea etc. And make sure that the beds are free from competitive weeds by removing by hand. These can be added to the compost heap as long as they haven't seeded.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Harvesting

Harvest your broccoli before the head of the plant starts to be broken by leafy points. The heads should be firm and compact, not open and loose. Cut the head, taking approximately 10 cm of stalk and few leaves with it. After this harvest, smaller heads will sprout in its place. These can be harvested too. They will be smaller than the first harvest, but very tender.

GROWING BROCCOLI: Diseases

Of all the Brassicas broccoli is by far the most resistant to insects and diseases. The cabbage white butterfly caterpillar is its main enemy, being green in colour and difficult to detect. Use the herb dill for companion planting to distract the butterflies so that they don't get a chance to lay their eggs. See our page on natural pesticides for getting rid of aphids with organic pest control recipes, as aphids can be another problem to broccoli.