About Broccoli
The broccoli you see in supermarkets is called green calabrese. There are two other varieties also these are purple sprouting and white sprouting broccoli. Here we will give you all the tips and advice for growing in the Uk and the rest of the world how to grow broccoli, how to sow and how to care for your broccoli plants.
Recommended varieties and types of Broccoli
There are many varieties and types of broccoli to try growing in the garden or at the allotment. We have checked out some of the best varieties to try growing. Here is our list of best broccoli to grow:-
White Sprouting Broccoli:- White Star, Early White Sprouting
Purple Sprouting Broccoli:- Claret, Red Sprouting
Calabrese:- Marathon, Belstar
Where to grow Broccoli
When choosing the best area to plant your broccoli you need to find somewhere that is fertile and well drained. If you are growing Calabrese broccoli like the ones in shops these are not as fussy as spouting broccoli and will tolerate less fertile soil
How to Sow Broccoli
When you sow broccoli you can either sow it into seed trays or sow it straight into the ground. I prefer growing it in seed trays first then potting them up before planting out.
If you are sowing broccoli in seed trays put a layer of compost down then sprinkle your broccoli seeds thinly over the compost. Cover with another layer of compost then water. You can cover the seed tray with a layer of cling film to keep it warm and help them germinate.
If you are sowing your broccoli seeds straight in the ground sow the seeds in rows extremely thinly. The rows need to be around 20cm apart and the seedlings need to be around 2 cm deep. When the broccoli seeds start to germinate and pop through you can thin the plants to around 8cm apart. This will then give the plants the room and adequate space to grow.
Find out how to sow broccoli on our video below
How to Grow Broccoli
When growing broccoli you want to be able to grow the best produce around. Broccoli is expensive in shops so growing it can be beneficial it is also very good for you being one of the super foods.
When your broccoli plants have grown to around 15cm in size you can transplant them to their final growing place. Broccoli needs good spacing when planting it out as it can grow quite big plus you need to make sure you keep the area weed free. The spacing broccoli needs is around 50cm distance between plants. If you are planting your plants outside from growing in the greenhouse make sure that you harden the plants off first before taking them straight outside as the cold weather could shock the plants.
Find out how to pot on broccoli in our video below
How to care for Broccoli plants
Broccoli does not need much care and attention but making sure the area is kept weed free is vital as weeds can take all the nutrients from the soil. Make sure that the broccoli is kept watered in dry periods. You can help keep the soil damp by mulching around the broccoli plants that are growing. You can also feed the broccoli plants through out the summer this will help give you a better crop of broccoli for picking and harvesting.
How to harvest Broccoli
Harvesting broccoli is very important as you have to pick it just at the right time. Leave the broccoli to long and it can go to flower then it is too late. To harvest broccoli you need to pick it when the broccoli shoots are well developed but make sure you pick them before the flowers open. You can cut off the center spear first then the side shoots. You can keep doing this regular over a period of 7 weeks.
How long does Broccoli take to grow?
Broccoli is a vegetable which takes a long time to grow. It can take upto 45 weeks to grow in total for the sprouting varieties but for the calabrese variety it will only take around 12 weeks.
We hope you have found these tips and advice useful for growing broccoli and calabrese in the garden and allotment. You can find many more tips and advice for growing fruit and vegetables here
