Gardening Tips: Growing Broccoli

Broccoli is a nutritious vegetable that you can grow in your own garden. It belongs to the mustard family of vegetables and likes cool surroundings. It cannot withstand long freezing temperatures, but it grows robustly in frosty months. While 40°F-60°F is very ideal for broccoli, it can tolerate temperatures as low as 20°F. At very high temperatures the broccoli plant tends to bolt and goes to seeding.

Here are some tips on growing broccoli in your vegetable garden.

• Late frost months and late summer months are ideal to start cultivating broccoli.

• Crop rotation is important to maintain soil fertility. Do not plant your broccoli seeds or seedlings in a region where other vegetables from the mustard family like cabbage, lettuce, radish, etc. were cultivated within a couple of years.

• Broccoli plants like 5-6 hours of sunlight every day. So they can tolerate mild to moderate shade. Select your garden plot accordingly. You can also grow broccoli in containers.

• Begin cultivation with seeds or seedlings. Plant broccoli seeds indoors in a large deep tray or pot with organic soil and seed-starter mix. Ensure that the container has good drainage. Space the seeds 4"-5" apart and water them well. Cover with plastic to conserve humidity and warmth. Provide a few hours of sunlight through a window or fluorescent lighting. When seedlings appear, water them regularly. When they are 4"-5" tall, you can transplant them to your garden.

• Before transplanting the broccoli seedlings, condition your garden soil. Dig and stir the soil thoroughly to ensure good aeration and drainage. Mix the soil with organic compost rich in nitrogen and phosphorous. Add organic fertilizer to the soil.

• Begin transplanting the broccoli seedlings by gradually loosening them from the tray. Dig deep holes in the garden soil to place the seedlings. Space the seedlings 18"-24" apart. Cover soil with 1"-2" of mulch to preserve moisture and thwart weeds.

• Fertilize your crops once every 3-4 weeks. Inspect the broccoli florets regularly for caterpillars, aphids and worms. Spray compost tea or organic pesticides to keep infestations away. Water your crops regularly but do not allow water to accumulate. Excess water can cause decay and fungal infections.

• Harvest broccoli when the florets are firm. This typically takes about 60-90 days from the time of seeding. Do not wait till your plant starts developing yellow flowers. Cut off the head when it is compact and allow the side shoots to continue to grow. The typical broccoli plant will keep producing bountiful florets well over 1 month.

Seed your broccoli plants over a 2-month period. You can then have a broccoli harvest all through the season.