Broccoli

Broccoli

• Why you should grow it:
  • Comes in a variety of forms
    • Purple & Sea Coral
  • Can harvest throughout the season, take a little at a time and it will continue to grow throughout the season
    • Harvesting regularly prevents the broccoli from flowering and then eventually going to seed
  • Plant in mid-late summer for fall harvest

• How to start seeds
  • Start indoors April to June
  • Transplant when they are about 4-6″ tall
  • Amend the soil before transplanting out
  • Transplant in the morning or on a cloudy day to prevent the seedling from drying out
  • Direct sow late spring to early fall

• Tips for growth
  • All Brassicas benefit from chamomile, dill, mint, rosemary, and sage
  • Avoid planting near eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes
  • Major pests are caterpillars, can avoid by timing planting and waiting a bit longer before planting out so seedlings are stronger
  • Also can use a row cover
  • Keep consistently watered, but be sure to water the ground, not the plant to prevent diseases
  • Mulch around the base of the plant to prevent evaporation and add nutrients during the peak of the summer

• Harvesting
  • Harvest in the morning before the crowns dry out, they’ll be more flavourful
  • Harvest regularly to encourage new growth, they’ll produce for longer
  • Leave the crowns on the stem too long and they will flower and eventually go to seed

• Saving Seeds
  • Once you stop harvesting the crowns, flowers will develop
  • Once the flowers dry, there will be seeds
  • Leave the seeds to dry on the plant
  • Shake into a bag and leave to dry in a sunny place
  • Bag, label and store in a dry and dark place