How To Grow Broccoli

By | May 26, 2014

All home gardeners should learn how to grow broccoli. It is such a rewarding crop packed full of folic acid and other nutrients.

how to grow broccoliPlanting Broccoli
Broccoli is a cool season vegetable and enjoys cool wet conditions to form compact heads. Seeds can be sown late summer and transplanted into your veggie beds in autumn and winter. Broccoli is a hungry plant and needs well composted soil. Old manure is also an excellent food for this plant. You can stager the plantings of broccoli plants over a period of 4 – 6 weeks so that you have a constant supply of broccoli through the winter.

Long term care Harvesting Broccoli
Harvest the main head of broccoli when the flower buds (this is the bumpy top) are swollen. Slice through the stem about 15 cm from the head with a sharp knife. Leave the plant in the ground and long side shoots will develop which can be harvested and used in stir-fries.

After you have harvested the side shoots you can remove the plant from the ground and put it on the compost heap. The leaves of the broccoli plant can be eaten like spinach leaves for the adventurous palate, but my chickens enjoy them and are treated to the spent plant.

Quick Notes

When to plant: Sow seeds in late summer, plant out in autumn and early winter (no-snow areas).

How many plants: 3 – 6 plants every 4 weeks.

How long to harvest: 9 – 10 weeks from planting

Successive planting: every 4 – 6 weeks

BROCCOLI RECIPE

In winter we love broccoli soup but we also enjoy broccoli salad as the weather gets warmer. Wash a head of broccoli and break it into small florets. Grate 100g cheddar cheese and toast 1 cup of sunflower seeds. Mix together 1 cup of yoghurt with 1 cup of mayonnaise. Mix all the items together and enjoy with some crusty rolls.

 

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