Grow broccoli

Broccoli is one of those crops that keeps on giving. With most varieties, once you’ve harvested the central head, the plant will produce a steady supply of delicious side shoots for several months.

It’s peak broccoli season in many parts of the country in June, and even if you have a crop in the ground that’s ready for picking, it’s worth putting in another one to keep you in fresh broccoli well into spring.

Seedlings are readily available at garden centres, if you want a quick start, but if you want to grow broccoli from seed, go for it! Broccoli seeds germinate in a matter of days. You can direct-sow, dropping a few seeds into a hole 1cm deep, and thinning out the excess. Space the holes or seedlings about 45–50cm apart.

I like to start broccoli seed in single-cell punnets, then, once they germinate, transfer individual seedlings into multicell punnets – one per cell – for growing on and planting out when they are established.

To grow great broccoli, you need to focus on feeding. They sulk when they are hungry! Add plenty of compost or well-rotted manure before planting, and sprinkle some organic fertiliser around their roots every four weeks or so, increasing the application as the plants get bigger. If you’re up for it, add on a fortnightly application of diluted fish emulsion and seaweed solution. They’ll reward you with humungous heads.

Don’t let the cabbage white butterfly destroy your fun. You’ll see them fluttering around your plants, laying eggs on the leaves, and their larvae can decimate the plants in days. My preferred control strategy is to cover my broccoli plants with pest exclusion netting from the time they germinate so the butterflies can’t get to them. An organic spray, such as Dipel, is also effective.

Header image credit: iStock

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