How to Care for Your Broccoli Plant


Growing broccoli can be fun and rewarding. How can you help your plant thrive and increase harvest sizes?
By     

Broccoli is a resilient vegetable that thrives in the cooler months of the year. In most regions of the nation, two harvests each year (spring and autumn) are feasible, particularly due to broccoli’s quick maturation and heat tolerance, which prolong its shelf life through all but the warmest times of the year.

Below, we go through all you need to know about cultivating broccoli plants. Read on to find out more.

Why You Should Consider Growing It

Broccoli is simple to cultivate and yields rapidly. Depending on when you planted the seed, you may be harvesting the first broccoli as early as March. This will greatly extend the harvest season, as you will be able to have fresh broccoli from spring through fall. 

In addition to being easy to grow, broccoli is a healthy food that may be included in a weight-loss regimen. It contains a lot of vitamins and minerals and is a wonderful source of fiber, iron, potassium, folic acid, and vitamin A.

Broccoli loses its antioxidants extremely rapidly (within a day of being harvested), so for the greatest health benefit, it is actually best to cultivate your own. 

full grown of green broccoli plant

General Care

Broccoli is easy to care for. Under the right conditions, you can grow a rewarding harvest from a packet of seeds. Pick a sunny spot that has good soil drainage to grow your broccoli. If you don’t have a suitable garden site, container gardening is an option.

Consider growing your plant near other beneficial companion plants.

Below are some specific requirements when growing broccoli.

Water Needs

Broccoli likes damp, well-drained soil. Make sure that your plant gets at least an inch of water a week. Water the plant from the bottom up rather than from above. Too much water on the plant itself can lead to decay.

Amount of Sun

The ideal location for growing broccoli is in an area that receives full sun, which is defined as receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight on most days.

However, in very hot areas, a partial shelter from the afternoon heat may be required to prevent the plant from bolting. This means the plant begins to flower and produces seeds.

big leaves of broccoli plant in the garden

Fertilization

Broccoli consumes a modest amount of nutrients. Before planting, work 2 to 4 inches of rich compost or a thin layer of well-aged manure into the soil. This will give you a greater yield of large and delicious heads.

By introducing some nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as fish meal or aged manure, into the soil at a plant’s base after the central head has been removed, you may promote further side-shoot growth.

Other Maintenance

Aside from the general care for broccoli stated above, there is one more thing to consider when growing this vegetable. 

Mulching

An organic mulch made of compost, finely powdered leaves, or finely ground bark can help keep the soil cool and wet while preventing weed growth at the same time. 

Yet, in cold areas, you may need to plant through black plastic in the early spring to assist in warming the soil or leave the ground without mulch so that the sun can warm it.

broccoli plant with mulching hay over the ground

Best Time to Plant

As a cool-season crop, broccoli should be planted in the early to mid-spring for an early summer harvest or in the mid to late summer for an autumn harvest, depending on your environment. 

While there are heat-resistant cultivars available, it is best to encourage broccoli to mature before or after the hot summer weather. High temperatures will negatively impact the growth of the broccoli head, which is the component that may be harvested.

Broccoli may be started inside for spring planting a few weeks before the last day of your spring frost. Sow seeds outdoors 85 to 100 days before the first autumn frost, when the soil and surrounding environment are warm for fall plantings.

broccoli vegetable plant in the garden
Phillis Butler
WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on this website.

Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.