Growing Broccoli

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Tasty in each of its many varieties, broccoli is easier to grow than its relatives cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, and can produce bountiful crops for even novice gardeners. KEITH WARD

As the most popular member of the cabbage family, broccoli is always in high demand at the table. This cool-weather crop is best grown in spring or fall, and tastes sweetest when it matures in autumn, when nights turn chilly. Broccoli seeds sprout best when soil temperatures range between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Broccoli Types to Try

Large-headed varieties produce the familiar domed heads that are composed of numerous clustered florets. Many large-headed varieties produce smaller side shoots after the primary head is harvested.

Sprouting varieties grow into bushier plants that produce numerous small heads. These varieties are at their best when grown from fall to spring in mild winter climates.

Romanesco varieties produce elegantly swirled heads composed of symmetrically pointed spirals. These large plants need plenty of space, excellent soil and good growing conditions to do well.

Broccoli raab is grown for its immature flower buds, which have a stronger flavor than regular broccoli. Broccoli raab (closely related to turnips) is popular in Asian and Italian cooking.

Check out our chart of broccoli types, which includes descriptions and growing tips for each.

When to Plant Broccoli

For a summer harvest, start seeds indoors six weeks before your last spring frost, and set out hardened-off seedlings when they’re about four weeks old. You can also seed broccoli directly into a nursery bed and transplant the seedlings to your garden. Direct-sow broccoli raab starting three weeks before your last frost.

For a fall harvest, start seeds indoors 12 to 14 weeks before your first fall frost, and set the seedlings out when they’re four to six weeks old. Direct-sow broccoli raab starting eight weeks before your first fall frost. (To find your last spring or first fall frost dates, see Garden Planning: It’s All About When.)

How to Plant Broccoli

Broccoli is a heavy feeder, and plants take up nutrients best when the soil pH is between 6.0 and 7.0. Choose a sunny site with fertile, well-drained soil. Loosen the planting bed and mix in up to 1 inch of mature compost. Unless your soil is very fertile, also mix in a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer such as alfalfa meal or composted poultry manure. Water the bed thoroughly before setting out seedlings. Allow 18 to 20 inches between plants. Dwarf varieties can be planted 12 inches apart.