🥦
Broccoli
Calabrese
BrassicasTransplant
☀️
Sun
full sun
💧
Water
Every 5 days
🌱
Germination
10 days
🕐
Days to harvest
80 days
📏
Planting depth
0.5 inches deep
↔️
Row spacing
24 inches
When to Plant
Start indoors 4–6 wks before last frost
Growing Guide
Soil: rich, firm · pH 6.0–7.0
Broccoli needs rich, firm, moisture-retentive soil. Add 3–4 inches of compost. Being a brassica, it benefits enormously from consistent pH above 6.5 to prevent club root. Lime if needed.
- Start indoors 4–6 weeks before last frost
- Transplant with soil temperature above 50°F; space 18 inches apart
- Broccoli is a cool-season crop — target heading before summer heat or plant a late-summer crop for fall
- Side-dress with high-nitrogen fertilizer 3 weeks after transplanting
- Water consistently — irregular moisture causes hollow stems and rice-sized heads
Care
💧 Water every 5 days
🌿 Fertilize every 21 days
📐 Spacing: 18 inches apart · 24 inches between rows
Harvest & Storage
Ready in 80 days with a harvest window of 14 days.
- Harvest the main head when beads (flower buds) are tight and dark green — before any yellow appears
- Cut at a 45-degree angle on the stem to shed water and prevent rot
- After main head harvest, continue to water and fertilize — side shoots will produce smaller but equally tasty secondary heads for weeks
- Check daily once the head is sizing up — they can open/flower within 24 hours in hot weather
Storage
Refrigerate unwashed in a perforated plastic bag. Best within 3–5 days of harvest. Blanch and freeze side shoots as they come in for year-round use.
Companion Planting
Grows well with:
dillsageonion
Keep away from:
tomatobean
Essential Tools
- Sharp knife (harvest at angle)
- Row cover (caterpillar and aphid control)
- Soil thermometer (transplanting timing)
Pests & Diseases
- Cabbage white butterfly: same as kale — row covers essential in most gardens
- Club root (Plasmodiophora brassicae): stunted plants, swollen distorted roots — keep pH above 6.5; 7-year rotation in infected soil
- Downy mildew: greyish patches on lower leaf surface — ensure good spacing and air circulation