Broccoli is a fantastic vegetable to grow if you are looking for a bit more nutrient packed garden. Not only is it tasty, it’s one of the more vitamin rich vegetables you might commonly grow in the US. While it is a cool weather plant, it still grows great in most gardens even giving you a fall crop in warmer areas.
Broccoli Details:
- Family: Brassicaceae
- Growing Season: Spring OR fall in cool weather
- Growing Zones: 3 through 10, choose a variety that is fit to your specific zone, heat tolerant varieties are available.
- Spacing: 18-24 inches (46-61 cm) apart
- Seed to Harvest time: 45 to 60 days
- Indoor Starting: Start indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last frost or before temperatures are expected to be consistently below 70F in the fall. Indoor starters for broccoli will need additional fluorescent lighting and should get 14-16 hours of light
- Earliest Planting: 2 Weeks before the last frost OR 100 days before the first frost in fall.
- Watering: Water when soil is dry, keeping soil moist, but never wet. Do not water the plant itself, only the roots and soil. Do not over water.
- Sunlight Requirements: Full sun is best, but can tolerate partial shade.
- Planting: Seeds can be planted outside once temperatures are consistently above 40F. Seedlings can be transplanted once the soil is above 50F and the plants will tolerate some frosts. Seeds should be planted around 1/2 inch deep.
- Weeding: Weed daily where possible. Mulch to prevent new weeds.
- Harvesting: Broccoli can grow multiple heads throughout their life. Harvest the central head before they flower using garden shears or snips. Side shoot then can be harvested as the plant grows. Once broccoli starts to flower it is past its best stage for eating. You can remove the flowers and eat the heads still if you catch them early enough, but if you let them go too long it is better to simply let them grow as seed stock for next season.
- Known Pests: Aphids, use soap and water or introduce lady bugs where permissible. Cabbage worms, remove manually and add row covers to protect your plants.
More About Broccoli
Broccoli is a single cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. This other cultivars of this species include cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, and kai-lan. While all of these are the same plant, they are varied in appearance and edible traits. Each of these cultivars easily crossbreed as well, so you can end up with even more specialized varieties as they are all the same species.
On top of these cultivars of the species the plants also come in many different varieties with color variation, size changes, and different growth rates.
What these cultivars all share in common are their general preference for cooler climates and susceptibility to the same pests.
Broccoli Tasting and Food Notes
Broccoli has as distinct taste that some perceive as bitter, though this can be cut down easily by cooking the plant. The other flavors in broccoli are a unique earthy and grassy savoriness. The overall impression of broccoli is not very sweet and the bitter compounds (glucosinolates) often account for the general impression that children do not like broccoli.
Broccoli is a fantastic side dish for the average homestead table. It pairs well with meats, cheeses, fish. It can be prepared simply by steaming, sauteing, or roasting, and can be seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. This highly simplistic preparation can cut the bitterness of the raw vegetable down and leave a lovely and flavorful side dish.
When eating broccoli raw its taste is a bit more bitter and fresh, but this helps it pair fantastically with creamy dips or hummus. Broccoli should not be eaten raw in excess though even though it is a nutritious and delicious snack. The glucosinolates in plant can be harmful when consumed in excessively high quantities. While this risk is very slight, it should be noted that it wouldn’t be a good idea to eat multiple pounds of raw broccoli in one sitting for a lot of reasons.
If you’re looking for other uses for broccoli, it’s perception as a super food has earned it a place in salads, stir frys, casseroles, gratins, and pastas. While it’s use is common, it has a distinct taste that means it will never be lost in a dish or used as a base ingredient without intention of changing the flavor of a dish.
Should I Grow Broccoli?
Broccoli takes up a lot of space in your garden. The plants are large with shallow roots and need a lot of dead space around them when they grow. That being said, since they are cool weather plants you can sneak these in at the beginning of the growing season or right at the end for some extra productivity from your plots. Broccoli isn’t hard to grow, but it is susceptible to some pests and can easily flower before you harvest it, so you’re going to want to plan to watch your crop more carefully if you do decide to grow it.
We recommend broccoli if you don’t have other cool weather plants in your gardening plan because often you can grow enough early on or at the end of the season to save and freeze for use throughout the remainder of the season. Finally, if you’re really tight on space, broccoli isn’t going to be a crop for your garden unless you really micro manage every square inch of your garden.