Growing Broccoli

Brassica sp. : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S                    
      T                
    P P                

(Best months for growing Broccoli in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 45°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 14 - 20 inches apart
  • Harvest in 10-16 weeks. Cut flowerhead off with a knife..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile, oregano)
  • Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chilli, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard

Your comments and tips

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31 Aug 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
If really big leafy plants then your soil was too rich in Nitrogen.
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17 Aug 20, ashley shepherd (New Zealand - temperate climate)
my seedlings keep getting ruined, they start to grow then fall over/out with no roots left. I dug around and looks like grass grubs in my beds how do I rid my garden bed of these?
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20 Feb 21, Jay (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Perhaps they are still too small - transplant shock ? try letting them grow larger maybe and soak the furrow first not the plant after till established.
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19 Aug 20, Anonymous (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Ring an agricultural supply company and ask to talk to an agronomists. Would probably be some grub or worm in the soil. I have never had the problem in 40 years.
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06 Aug 20, Anthony Ryan (Australia - temperate climate)
My broccoli plants have finished producing main flower heads some side shoots are still growing though. Once they finish producing flower buds do you pull out the plant or cut or trim it so it will regrow next winter. I have heard both broccoli and cauliflowers are biennial if so what should I do for my cauliflowers also. Any help would be greatly appreciated
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07 Aug 20, Anon (Australia - temperate climate)
Some (sprouting) are perennial some are annual. I don't know why anyone would trim the plant then look after it for 6-8 months. Far less work to just pull it out and replant new seed/seedlings next Autumn.
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11 Jul 20, Sue Hotker (Australia - tropical climate)
What direction should I plant broccoli and cabbage, eg. nth, sth, west or east facing? Morning or afternoon sun?
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13 Jul 20, (Australia - temperate climate)
N S is probably the best thought it wouldn't matter really. Sun all day.
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12 Jun 20, April (USA - Zone 5b climate)
Could I plant broccoli from seed now for a fall crop?
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04 Jun 20, Glenn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Does anyone know where I can buy Green Dragon Broccoli seeds in Australia?
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Showing 21 - 30 of 311 comments
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This has happened to me a couple of times in the South too, with various cole crops. Have you grown this variety of broccoli in this location and at the same time of year before, with success? The reason I ask is, some brassicas require vernalization (a sufficient number of cold temperatures before they flower/head) and some types may be photoperiod sensitive (waiting for days to get short enough/long enough to trigger flowering/heading). Did you have an especially warm winter? Definitely make sure you're growing a variety that's best suited to your latitude, and are growing it at the suggested time of year. I hope you at least got to eat your plants! The leaves are a delicious consolation prize. Also! Important tip: always leave broccoli roots in the ground when you harvest the plants. Decaying broccoli roots are toxic to verticillium dahliae, a stubborn soilborne fungus. Broccoli is worth growing for that reason alone!

- colleen

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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