Broccoli
- Why you should grow it:
- Comes in a variety of forms
- 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