Vegetable · Flowering
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea (Italica group)
A cool-season crop grown for its tight cluster of unopened flower buds. A well-grown plant often keeps producing smaller side shoots for weeks after the main head is cut.
At a glance
Water
Medium
32–48 fl oz/wk
Light
Full sun
6–8 hrs/day
Space
Medium
20 in
To maturity
55–90 days
Edible parts: Flower buds
Family: Brassica
Includes kale, cabbage, broccoli, and mustard greens. Generally cold-hardy and fast-growing.
Harvest
Cut the central head while buds are still tight and green, before any yellow petals show; side shoots follow over the next several weeks.
Growing conditions
- Temperature
- 40–75 °F
- Soil pH
- 6–6.5
- Soil type
- Fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter
- Climate
- Cool-season, tolerates light frost; heads can button (form small and early) under heat or other stress.
- Growing season
- Early spring for a summer harvest, or a mid-summer planting timed to mature in cool fall weather.
- Nitrogen
- High (≈60–100 ppm)
- Humidity
- Medium (≈40–70 %)
- Planting unit
- Seedling
- Feeding schedule
- Side-dress with a nitrogen fertilizer about two to three weeks after transplanting to support head development.
- Pest resistance
- Moderate - watch for cabbage worms and aphids
- Pests
- Aphids: Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and undersides of leaves, sucking sap and excreting sticky honeydew., Cabbage worms: Pale green caterpillars that chew ragged holes in leaves, favoring brassicas like kale and cabbage.
- Pruning
- None beyond harvesting heads and side shoots.
Where it grows
- In-Ground GardenIdeal
- Raised BedIdeal
- Container / PotPossible— 5-gallon pot minimum for a full-sized head.
- HydroponicPossible— Possible in large DWC systems but demands significant space.
- Vertical / TrellisNot recommended— No climbing or vining habit.
- WindowsillNot recommended— Needs more light and space than a windowsill offers.
Companions & antagonists
No known companion pairings yet.
Sources
- Broccoli — Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- Growing Broccoli in a Home Garden — University of Maryland Extension