Growing broccoli: tips for planting in the garden

Broccoli is a popular cabbage plant. Here's everything you need to know about growing broccoli successfully in your garden.

The green broccoli plant (Brassica oleracea var. italiana) is a perennial favorite among the cabbage varieties and from Asian to European cuisine is indispensable. With its high nutritional value, fresh broccoli is considered particularly healthy. Cultivation in the garden is therefore definitely worthwhile. Originally located in Central Asia, the cultivation of the special variety of cabbage spread to Italy and all of Europe centuries ago. With the right approach, broccoli cultivation promises a lot of success in your own garden. We will show you how best to cultivate the green vegetable.

Growing broccoli: location and requirements

Broccoli plants are generally more demanding than their relatives cabbage varieties. There are a few things to consider when choosing a location. The soil should always be loose and nutrient-rich. Too heavy soils are not very suitable due to the deep roots. It is therefore worth working compost into the bed to loosen it up and supply nutrients. In addition, broccoli needs an alkaline soil - if the pH is low, we recommend applying lime before cultivation. In addition, when planting broccoli, make sure that it is in a sunny and wind-protected location.

You should take this information into account when choosing a location:

• Loose and nutrient-rich soil (no heavy soil)
• No acidic soil (lime if necessary)
• Sunny and sheltered place

tip: You can also get broccoli in the form of Broccoli Sprouts plant.

Planting broccoli: planting time and care

If you plant cleverly and with a certain time interval, you can look forward to fresh vegetables all summer long. We show when it is best to plant out and how to properly care for cabbage so that you can expect a good harvest.

Broccoli season: time to plant

You can grow broccoli indoors from February to March. Whether you prefer the seedlings or bought them from the garden center, it's time to plant out in May. With direct sowing, you can sow outdoors as early as April. We recommend spreading the cultivation over several weeks so that fresh broccoli can be harvested little by little in the summer. Otherwise it can happen that you suddenly have to harvest more than you can actually eat.

Caring for broccoli: Water and fertilize properly

For optimal growth, broccoli plants, as heavy feeders, need enough nutrients and water in the bed. The water requirement is quite high, so water the plant regularly. It is also advisable to remove the weeds around the broccoli more often and to pile up the soil around the young cabbage in a similar way to potatoes.

After the addition of compost for preparation, a nitrogen and potassium-rich fertilizer such as our Plantura can be used as the growth progresses Organic Tomato Fertilizer to be worked. However, a few weeks before the first harvest, fertilizers should be avoided altogether. In this way, the broccoli becomes particularly aromatic. As a purely plant-based alternative, the further use of compost and nettle manure is recommended.

Broccoli Pests

Broccoli can generally be affected by the same pests and diseases as its cabbage relatives. The most important include:

1. the Clubroot, a fungal disease. It can be recognized by the poor growth and wilting of the plant, as well as bulbous, thickened roots that are white on the inside.
2. the cabbage fly: This cabbage-typical pest lays its eggs in the plant; the larvae then eat through and damage the broccoli.
3. the Cabbage White: This is the caterpillar of the butterfly. An infestation by the voracious insects can be quickly recognized by the severely eaten cabbage leaves.

Not all of these pests have reliable controls, so take these precautions:

• Pay close attention to crop rotation (a break in cultivation of at least 4 years for cabbage varieties)
• If the pH is low, lime the soil
• The use of an insect protection net

Grow or buy broccoli?

Before cultivating broccoli, you should ask yourself whether you want to grow the plants yourself or whether you would rather buy them. Both variants definitely have their advantages, but you should still decide early on, because your own cultivation starts early in the year. We present both options below.

Propagating broccoli from seeds yourself

Indoors or in a heated greenhouse, broccoli seeds can be sown from February to March. Do not sow the seeds very deeply (maximum 1 cm deep) and gently press the soil. After 4 to 6 weeks, the young plants can be pricked out in larger containers and planted outdoors at a distance of 50 x 50 cm from May. Basically, it should be noted that growing your own is cheaper than buying young plants.

Buy broccoli plants

As an alternative to growing your own, you can buy young broccoli plants in a garden center. Growing broccoli isn't easy, and a green thumb is definitely an advantage. In addition to the savings in effort, the purchase also gives you better chances of a bountiful harvest. You should therefore think twice about buying the green vegetable as a young plant.

Broccoli varieties: making the right choice

When buying seeds, you should pay attention to the respective properties. There are earlier and later varieties. There are also so-called sprouting varieties that overwinter outdoors. These form many smaller flowers in early spring: A wonderful spring vegetable!
A comprehensive overview of Broccoli Varieties you'll find here.

• calabrese: old and well-known variety from Italy; large and several small flowers; Variety tends to many side shoots and allows a constant and good yield.
• Calinaro: more compact variety with large heads and a very good taste; popular with hobby growers and with smaller, direct-marketing businesses.
• Cezar: compact variety that attracts attention with its blue-green colour; the main shoot forms relatively large heads.
• Kabuki (F1): short-growing and very early-ripening variety, which is even suitable for the balcony; forms many smaller heads on the side shoots.
• Parthenon (F1): vigorous and high-yielding variety that produces good yields even in cooler climates; compact and densely packed heads; popular in commercial cultivation.
• Rosalind: old favorite variety with red-violet heads; The variety branches strongly and thus brings a good harvest again and again for weeks.
• Summer Purple: quite undemanding variety of sprouting broccoli, which even beginners can grow successfully; variety branches heavily; purple heads.

Harvesting broccoli: Watching for the right time

An unusual feature of broccoli is that the flower buds are eaten instead of the leaves or fruit. However, since we only use the unopened buds in the kitchen, it's the right time for them Broccoli Harvest decisive. As soon as the flowers open and turn yellow, this affects the special taste of the cabbage. Therefore, check the plants regularly in summer so that they do not overripe. With summer varieties, the first broccoli plants begin to mature after about 7 weeks, with winter varieties it takes several months due to the cold.

A small hint: When harvesting, first cut off only the main stem including the stem in the middle. After some time, the side shoots will ripen and you can harvest several times. A decent distance to the neighboring plant is crucial for the formation of the side buds, otherwise the broccoli cannot spread.

Storing and preserving broccoli

Anyone who has ever bought broccoli in the supermarket knows that the vegetable only lasts for a very short time. So that you don't have too much of the nutritious cabbage in summer and can't keep up with the food, you should definitely plant at a different time. If it doesn't work out as planned, there are still ways to extend the storage period. More to Storing broccoli you'll find here.

Freeze broccoli

The most reliable way to store broccoli for longer is to freeze it. To do this, first cut the vegetables into smaller pieces and blanch the broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes. As soon as the vegetables are cooked, they should be cooled quickly (e.g. under cold water) and dried briefly. Finally, fill the pieces in freezer bags and place them in the freezer. This way broccoli will stay fresh for up to a year.

Store broccoli in the refrigerator

Storing in the refrigerator is suitable if you want to eat the vegetables within a few days. If stored too long in the refrigerator, there is a risk of flowering, which has a negative effect on the taste. To keep the broccoli crunchy a little longer, we recommend that you place it in damp kitchen paper. The healthy sprout vegetables do not dry out so quickly.

Broccoli is a close relative of cauliflower. In our special article you will find out everything you need to know about cauliflower – Varieties, cultivation, care and more.