Backyard Gardening – How to Grow Broccoli
Would you like to grow your own delicious broccoli?
I know, you may be thinking, “how could broccoli ever be delicious?” Broccoli isn’t normally a favorite vegetable pick, but if grown properly and cared for, you can be sure your homegrown broccoli will be the best you have ever tasted.
Quick Tip:
If you are not a broccoli fan try cutting it up into small pieces. In a bowl, toss your cut up broccoli with some extra virgin olive soil. Spread the coated broccoli on a cookie sheet and crack sea salt all over it.
Then bake at around 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes. I like my broccoli a little crispier, so I might even bake in longer. Then enjoy.
How to Grow Delicious Organic Broccoli
Planting
- Choose the right location for growing your broccoli. That location will be a spot in your yard that receives at least 6 hours of sun, and has moist soil that is well drained.
- According to Bonnie Plants, the soil’s pH levels should be anywhere from 6.0 to 7.0. You can buy a kit to make sure the soil is just right.
- Add a thin layer of manure and work it into the soil about 2-4 inches deep.
- If you are planting in the spring, the Old Farmer’s Almanac recommends to seed or set the transplants 2-3 weeks before the last spring frost.
- If you are planting in the fall, make sure to seed about 85-100 days before your area’s first average fall frost.
- For help deciphering your last frost date, visit the First and Last Frost Dates Calculator and then simply add you city and state or zip code.
- Plant each seed about a 1/2 inch deep. If you are transplanting, plant the transplant just a little deeper than it had been originally.
- Spacing for each plant should be about 12 – 24 inches. Space each row 36 inches apart.
Taking Care of Broccoli
- Keep your soil cool by adding mulch around your broccoli plants.
- Water regularly. One key to growing delicious broccoli is making sure the soil is moist.
- Make sure when watering that you are watering the soil and not the developing heads.
Harvesting
- The best time of day to harvest broccoli is in the morning.
- You will know it is time to harvest the broccoli, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, when the buds of the head are firm and tight before the heads flower. If you see yellow petals make sure to harvest immediately. http://www.almanac.com/plant/broccoli
- Cut off the heads of the plant by taking off at least 6 inches of the stem.
- Keep the broccoli in the fridge for about 5 days.
- Quick Tips from Organic Gardening,
“Green cabbage loopers and imported cabbageworms often go unnoticed on harvested heads and can end up in your cooked broccoli. To prevent this, drive them out by soaking the heads in warm water with a little vinegar added for 15 minutes before cooking.”
- The next step is to cook your broccoli the way you love it and enjoy.
For more ideas on what to plant this month, please see, 5 Vegetables to Plant in Your Garden this Fall.
Your Turn
Have you ever tried growing broccoli in your backyard?
