Growing Broccoli

Romanesco Broccoli.

  
Waltham Broccoli.

Latest Update 26th January 2020.

Broccoli (Calabrese)

• Broccoli produces a firm tasty head followed by smaller floret side shoots extending harvest beyond a month.
• It is a healthy vegetable containing lots of dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins.
• We don't grow many in our garden as its a seasonal vegetable and occupies a lot of our limited space.
• I have frozen surplus broccoli in the past, but we prefer it fresh and steamed for 10 minutes seasoned with salt, pepper and mixed herbs.

Details.

• Binomial Name:                                       Brassica oleracea.
• Family:                                                    Brassicaceae.
• Variety:                                                    Waltham, Romanesco and Kailaan. 
• Crop rotation group:                                  Heavy feeders.
• Garden bed type:                                      Garden Ecobed.
• Minimum sun per day:                               4 hours.
• Plant spacings (centres x rows):                500 x 500 mm.
• Weeks to harvest:                                     12-20 weeks.
• Climate:                                                   Warm temperate.
• Geography:                                              Southern hemisphere.

Nutrition.  

• This food is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. 
• It is a good source of protein, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, Iron, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and manganese
• More from nutrition data.self.com.

Maintain Healthy Plants

• This blogpage explains how I maintain healthy plants.  It describes how soil is prepared prior to planting, how to regulate the sun's intensity and how to help protect and feed plants through their leaves.

Propagate Plants Efficiently

•  This blogpage explains how I propagate seeds in a purpose built propagator.

Propagation Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to sow seeds.

Services Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to make compost and plan other garden/household related activities.

Growing Instructions.

• Sow a few broccoli seeds in a drill in an EcoPropagator.  Water in well with captured rainwater.
• When the seedlings are big enough, transplant the best of them individually into  prepared soil in an Ecobed.  
• I usually grow 2 of each variety in an Ecobed (2 rows) and, If I have space, I grow a few more Romanesco in drip line beds.
• To plant the broccoli seedlings, make a 50mm wide hole in the soil for each root ball using a large dibber.  Bury them as deep as possible, but keep the lower leaves clear of the soil.
• Firm the soil around the seedling roots to stop the plants falling over in windy weather. 
• Keep the straw mulch well away from the seedlings until they mature, then move the mulch back close to the stems.  Water the seedlings in with captured rainwater.

Harvesting and Storage.

• Waltham broccoli produce large firm heads.  Pick them before they start to flower.
• They keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks especially if kept sealed in jumbo sized resealable plastic bags as they are being used.
• If Waltham broccoli is left to grow after the main head is harvested, it will reward you with a succession of edible side shoots over many weeks.  
• Harvest Romanesco broccoli's main head when ready (just before the buds start to open).  They are a lovely looking plant and taste just as good on the plate.

Organic Pest Control.

• Broccoli, like most vegetables, are vulnerable to attack from certain pests in my garden.  My blog on "Controlling Garden Pests" explains a little about these pests and what to do to protect plants from them.  For details click on the appropriate link below
• Slugs and snails.
• Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars.
• Greenhouse whitefly.
• Aphids (greenfly).
• Root knot nematodes.