Birds, especially pigeons, can cause an array of problems including eating seedlings, buds, leaves, fruit and vegetables. Protect the plants from birds by covering them with netting or fleece. Scarecrows and bird-scaring mechanisms work for a while, but the most reliable method of protection is to cover plants with horticultural fleece or mesh.
A number of caterpillars will feed on brassicas, but the most common are those of cabbage white butterflies. You will usually see the caterpillars, if not, you will see the holes they make in the leaves.
They will also bore into the heart of cabbages. In mild attacks, or if you have only a few plants, you may be able to pick the caterpillars off. Insect-proof mesh or fine netting mm mesh can prevent egg-laying.
Roots become swollen and distorted, and leaves become pale and yellow and wilt easily. Plants may die. White larvae approximately 5cm 2in long, feed on the roots just below the soil surface, stunting growth and causing plants to wilt and die.
Regular sowings of broccoli can provide crops from late winter through to autumn, depending on sowing time and variety. Plants generally take two or three months to start cropping, then provide pickings for about a month. Broccoli is ready to harvest when the heads or spears are well formed but still in bud, before individual flowers begin to open.
Cut the central spear first. This is followed by a series of smaller spears on the sideshoots, which can be picked regularly over four to six weeks. This recipe for purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy dressing is perfect to serve as a main meal or as a side vegetable dish, and can be eaten all year round. Buy now. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work Join now. Now I have flowers growing on top.
What do I do? Pull out the whole plants or do I just cut them down? Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Broccoli. By Catherine Boeckmann. When to Plant Broccoli Broccoli is cool-season crop, so it should be started in late winter or early spring depending on your climate for an early summer crop, or in mid- to late summer for a fall crop.
High temperatures will affect development of the broccoli head the harvestable part , so the goal is to get broccoli to mature before or after high temperatures are expected. For spring plantings , broccoli may be started indoors or outdoors a few weeks ahead of your last spring frost date. Consult our Planting Calendar to see recommended dates for your area. Generally speaking: Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date.
Sow seeds outdoors 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost date, or as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. For fall plantings best in warm climates , sow seeds outdoors 85 to days before the first fall frost, when soil and ambient temperatures are high.
Preparing the Planting Site Broccoli requires a site with exposure to full sun 6 to 8 hours per day. Lack of sunlight may produce thin, leggy plants and subpar heads. Plant in a bed of moist, fertile soil that drains well. Soil pH should be slightly acidic, between 6. To increase fertility before you plant, in early spring, work in 2 to 4 inches of rich compost or a thin layer of manure. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. Once seedlings reach a height of 2 to 3 inches, thin them so that plants are 12 to 20 inches apart.
If you started seeds indoors, plant transplants that are 4 to 6 weeks old and have 4 or 5 leaves outdoors, 12 to 20 inches apart, in holes slightly deeper than their container depth. Space rows of broccoli 3 feet apart.
Closer spacing yields smaller main heads, but more secondary heads. Water well at the time of planting. Fertilize broccoli three weeks after transplanting seedlings into the garden. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer. Thin when young plants reach 2 to 3 inches tall.
Plants should be between 12 and 20 inches apart. Provide consistent soil moisture with regular watering, especially in drought conditions. Do not get developing broccoli heads wet when watering, as it can encourage rot. Roots are very shallow, so try not to disturb the plants. Suffocate weeds with mulch. Mulching around plants will also help to keep soil temperatures down. Use row covers to minimize pests.
To promote the growth of a second head after the first has been harvested, maintain an active feeding and watering schedule. Learn more about taking care of your broccoli plant. Apply soapy water to all sides of leaves whenever you see aphids.
Cabbage loopers: Small holes on the leaves between the veins mean small green caterpillars are present. Look at the undersides of the leaves. Hand pick if the problem is small or control with Bacillus thuringiensis, a natural, bacterial pesticide. Use a floating row cover just after planting through harvest to prevent caterpillars. Cabbage root maggots Cabbageworms and other worm pests: Treat same as loopers. Clubroot: Quickly wilting plants may be due to this fungus in the soil.
The entire plant, including all roots and root tendrils, must be gently dug up and removed. If the roots are gnarled and misshapen, then clubroot is the problem. Do not compost the plants. Raise the pH of your soil to above 7. You may need to sterilize your soil, too. Downy Mildew: Yellow patches on leaves are usually caused by moist weather. Keep leaves as dry as possible with good air circulation. Buy resistant varieties. White rust Whiteflies Nitrogen deficiency: If the bottom leaves turn yellow and the problem continues toward the top of the plant, the plants need a high nitrogen but low phosphorus fertilizer or blood meal.
Blood meal is a quick nitrogen fix for yellowing leaves. How to Harvest Broccoli Harvest broccoli in the morning, when the buds of the head are firm and tight, just before the heads flower.
If you do see yellow petals, harvest immediately, as the quality will decrease rapidly. Cut heads from the plant, taking at least 6 inches of stem. Make a slanted cut on the stalk to allow water to slide away.
Harvesting is easy, you can see when ready because in late winter the purple florets emerge. Then they quickly elongate and the absolute perfect moment is when all of the flower buds are evenly sized.
Cut off low down each spear to whatever size you like, trying to gauge where the stem stops being succulent and turns a little woody — obviously you can trim later so go further if unsure. Fried in garlic with sliced almonds at the end they can be cooked and eaten exactly like asparagus, with a poached egg or as a side.
Add a little chilli for some spice. Easiest is to boil for a few minutes or steam, steaming helping to minimise the risk of over cooking. Boiling will wash out most of the purple colour and the spears magically turn green — the purple rinse water looking particularly off putting!
There are other more elaborate recipes too if you are more daring than I in the kitchen, just search for purple sprouting broccoli recipes online. Some useful tips which I will take on board. All covered with net to keep out the pests. It looks a bit excessive but it really works. With a bit of help I move it around my plot so that I still get crop rotation.
Worth bearing in mind that PSB freezes well if like me you get a bit of a glut. I open freeze it then bag it up. And good tip about the freezing. I only need about 6 or 8. Then during winter winds they tend to blow over, and only steel supports would be sufficient to hold them in place. Thanks for sharing your experience. I know many vegetables like brassicas and leeks can be grown in seed beds outside but I find it much easier to start in seed trays or pots for a number of reasons.
I never really have to water them though, except to encourage more growth in summer. You do have to be careful in the first month after planting because two years ago we had a very dry early summer and I lost a few plants. The other reasons including protecting the seedlings from slugs and snails until large enough. It would never stop club root but it can help as a way of growing brassicas with it in the soil…. I might feel differently if I had a large garden and grew everything at home.
I am harvesting my purple sprouting now and would like to know if I cut them down after harvesting will they shoot again ready for next spring.. Hi Angela, I pick the shoots and leave for a week or two as sometimes more can grow. It always grows ridiculously tall and I get a goodish crop. It is never grown in the same place twice. Is this because I am in an exposed area, is it the type always Early , or something else?
Many thanks for any advice. Hi Michelle, do you stake them to keep them upright? Your email address will not be published. Skip to content. Gardening help Vegetables. Purple sprouting broccoli is a mainstay on my London based allotment — I love it! Sow purple sprouting broccoli seeds Purple sprouting broccoli is sown in spring between March — June.
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