If you think it's difficult to grow broccoli in your own garden, you're wrong. It's actually child's play. You don't even have to pay much attention to it.
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), also known as asparagus cabbage, is an aromatic and very he althy cabbage vegetable that simply tastes best when you grow it yourself. What could be more obvious than growing your own broccoli in your own garden? Don't worry, broccoli is very undemanding and doesn't need a lot of care. If you pick the right location, then you're already halfway there.
Location and soil for broccoli
The vegetables need a wind-protected and sunny place. Broccoli is a heavy feeder and needs loamy, nutrient-rich and alkaline soil. With mature compost and lime you can further improve the soil quality. Loosen the soil well and mix in some vegetable fertilizer if necessary. Note that cabbage must not have grown in the bed beforehand. This will prevent any cabbage pests and diseases from spreading to the broccoli.
Tip: Avoid planting other types of cabbage in the immediate vicinity. Better plant neighbors are, for example, beans, dill, celery or beetroot.
How to properly plant broccoli
❍ Sow broccoli in the bed:
If you want to sow the broccoli directly into the bed, you can do so from around the middle to the end of May. To do this, press the seeds about a centimeter deep into the soil at a loose distance. Once the seeds have germinated, separate the young plants so that they are about 40 centimeters apart.
❍ Prefer broccoli indoors:
Alternatively, you can also grow the plants indoors between January and March. For this you need broccoli seeds, growing pots and growing soil. The right place is on a sunny windowsill, in the greenhouse or in the cold frame. Keep the cold frame closed most of the time and only open it to air and water occasionally. You must also always keep the potting soil with the seeds slightly moist. After the plants have grownseparate young broccoli.
Tip: Robust broccoli plants are also available ready-grown in stores if you want to save yourself a little work.
From May, when the broccoli seedlings are about ten centimeters high, they can be planted outdoors. Plant at a distance of 40 to 50 centimeters so that the plants can spread well. Also protect the young plants from pests with a vegetable net.
How to properly care for broccoli seedlings
Broccoli plants need regular moisture. However, make sure that you do not overwater the plants, because the loamy soil stores the water well. To prevent the root area from drying out, it is best to cover it with a layer of mulch.
Tip: The always moist substrate keeps flea beetles away.
Watch the growth. Because if the broccoli plants develop well, you can be sure that the soil contains enough nutrients. Otherwise you can help with a biological liquid fertilizer for vegetables such as the COMPO BIO fruit and vegetable fertilizer in the irrigation water.
Plant several times, harvest more often
You can harvest the broccoli around mid-July. Remove only the middle, thickened bud, then the side shoots will continue to grow well. If you plant broccoli several times, there will be a bounty harvest by the onset of winter. Perennial varieties can even be left standing because they bear fruit for about three years. After the planting phase of three years, however, you should definitely change the type of vegetable in the same location!