Growing Broccoli

Growing broccoli is simple. Broccoli is renowned for health properties eg anti cancer. It is an excellent cool season vegetable for picking from late autumn through to early spring. Like a teenage son, Broccoli is hungry and in a hurry! It is probably the most popular vege in NZ. Originally it was a Mediterranean plant grown by the Etruscans in pre-Roman times.

It is a member of the cabbage/kale family.

 

Growing Conditions

Plants are available all year round but for best results plant in full sun in either March/April or Sept/October. Garden centres stock plants suitable for different times of year. Broccoli will be ready in 60-90 days.  Allow for 8 plants/large pot. Bury the plants up to the lower leaves. In cold areas it is best to plant early so they develop a good size frame before cold weather slows the growth. It is best if the plants grow fast. For growing in GreenSmart^TM pots it is better to plant seedlings rather than seeds. For continuity you can plant a second pot 4-6 weeks later.

If growing broccoli from seeds then plant the seeds at about three times the seed diameter.

Best results are achieved from soil temperatures of 7-20 deg C. Position the planter out of the wind. They don’t like wet roots so the self draining GreenSmart pots are perfect for free draining soil.

Fertiliser

Broccoli are fond of lime (like all brassicas). Prepare the pot with a small amount of well rotted animal manure, blood and bone. Bury the fertiliser well beneath the roots of the transplanted seedlings.

Add liquid fertiliser (eg comfrey tea, diluted chicken manure pellets, liquid seaweed) into the water sight glass every few weeks while the growing broccoli is rapidly developing.

Here is our liquid seaweed concentrate. It is harvested from invasive seaweed on Marlborough green lipped mussel farms.

/products/liquid-seaweed-fertiliser/

 

Pests and Diseases

Keep an eye out for slugs and snails while the plants are young. Look out for white butterflies. Remove eggs and pinch off caterpillars. All brassicas can be affected by club root resulting in stunted top growth. It is a fungus. As it can remain in the soil for up to 10 years, throw out the soil and start again. It is worse in acidic soil so add lime.

Companions

Growing broccoli in GreenSmart planters works well with aromatic plants like celery, sage, onions and beetroot. Avoid growing broccoli with beans, strawberries and tomatoes.

Harvesting

Once the head is ready to harvest you will only have about a week before the flowers develop. Cut the head from the main stalk while it is still tightly packed and before any buds turn to yellow ie before any flower development. Cut on an angle to prevent the stalk rotting due to water lodging in the stem. Allow side shoots to continue growing. They will be much smaller than the main head. The plant will bear for several weeks.

In the Kitchen

Watch out for caterpillars and other critters camouflaged in the broccoli head.

Garden-fresh broccoli is sweet and tender. It is excellent eaten raw. Cut into bite sized pieces and throw into salads. Marinate for an hour or two in fridge with an equal mix of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Try balsamic vinegar sprinkled over raw or cooked broccoli too.

 

GoGreen Expo

I am a great fan of the GoGreen Expo’s because you get to see all sorts of interesting sustainable products and services.We will be exhibiting GreenSmart pots at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane in Auckland over the weekend of April 18/19. Check it out at http://www.gogreenexpo.co.nz