Melinda Myers

Broccoli

Botanical Name

Brassica oleracea

Hardiness

Annual

Height

2 to 3 feet

Width

2 to 3 feet

Flowers

Early to mid summer: yellow

Light

Full sun

Soil

Moist, well-drained

Planting & Care

• Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost
• Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Transplant when plants are 4-6 weeks old and have 4-5 sets of true leaves
• Broccoli can be directly sown outdoors as soon as ground can be worked
• Seeds germinate in temperatures of 45 F to 85 F
• Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows, spacing rows 36 inches apart
• Mulch soil to conserve moisture
• Use floating row covers to protect young plants from pests

Problems

Aphids, cabbage worms, flea beetle, slugs, cutworms, cabbage root maggo, clubroot

Varieties

• Green Comet - heat tolerant
• Green Goliath - tolerant of heat and cold, spring or summer planting