Broccoli Plant
A Basic Guide to the Broccoli Plant
Growing a broccoli plant is actually pretty easy thing to do, since broccoli is a fairly hardy vegetable. Since broccoli has a variety of uses, it makes since to include it in your garden. With a healthy supply of broccoli available, you will no longer have to add it to your grocery list when you can simply walk outside in your own garden and select some of your own!
The broccoli plant grows best during the cool part of the year, unlike some plants. There are new varieties, however, that will allow the plant to grow during every season but the hottest part of the year.
Once the central head is removed, side heads can grow from the broccoli plant, meaning that it can continue to yield crops over a long period of time as long as it is properly cared for. Sometimes, you can be able to grow two crops, one in the fall and one in the spring.
If you want to start growing your broccoli plant in the spring, then you should start out with transplants in the early spring. These will help establish your new plants quickly and make them more apt to stand up to the summer heat. If you want fall crops then you can plant the seeds directly into the soil or you can start them growing in flats and then transplant them after your early crops have been harvested.
When fall planting, start growing your seeds around midsummer and then transplant them in later summer. It's important not to leave them in the seed flats for too long or else they can produce button heads and this is not desirable.
The seeds themselves should be planted about ½ inch deep. When setting transplants, ensure that they are just a little bit deeper than they were originally planted. They should be planted about 20 inches apart with 36 inches in between the rows to give them ample room to grow. Broccoli plants can sometimes grow as tall as 2 ½ feet so they need to be able to branch out, so to speak.
Using starter fertilizer when you first plant the broccoli and then side-dressing the plants with nitrogen fertilizer once they are about halfway grown is ideal. It is also important to make sure that their soil is kept moist, without over-watering the plants.
When harvesting your broccoli plants, cut off the central head along with about 6 inches of stem. Do this before the flowers start opening up. This will help other shoots develop later on. After you have cut off the central head, you should be able to cut off more shoots a few weeks later.
Some common problems that the broccoli plant faces are cabbage worms and aphids. The aphids tend to grow on the leaves' undersides. The cabbage worms also attack the leaves as well as the buds. They can eat the leaves and the buds of the plant and therefore ruin your chance of a good harvest.
It's important to address these issues as soon as you notice them to ensure that you have healthy broccoli plants to enjoy for the year.