🥦 Broccoli
How to grow
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost — broccoli wants to mature in cool weather, and a head start is how you beat the heat. Transplant when seedlings have 4-5 true leaves, planting slightly deeper than they grew in the tray. In Florida, broccoli is strictly fall-through-winter: transplant October through January; spring plantings bolt before heading up. Up north, plant for both spring and fall harvests. Broccoli is a heavy feeder — this is the brassica that eats like a teenager. Work generous compost and 5-10% worm castings into the bed, and side-dress with castings or composted manure when heads start forming. Cut the main head when the buds are tight and deep green; then leave the plant — most varieties produce a parade of side shoots for weeks afterward.
Water & feeding
Consistent moisture is critical — an inch to 1.5 inches per week. Drought stress during head formation gives you button-sized heads and premature flowering. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses keep leaves dry (wet leaves invite disease) and deliver water to the roots. Mulch 2-3 inches deep to hold moisture and keep soil cool.
Common problems
- Cabbage worms (those velvety green caterpillars) — Bt spray or row cover from transplant day; handpick the rest.
- Clubroot (swollen, deformed roots in acidic soil) — keep pH above 6.5, rotate brassicas on a 3-4 year cycle.
- Bolting in heat — choose heat-tolerant varieties like 'Green Magic' for shoulder seasons; mulch to keep roots cool.
Harvest
Cut the central head when buds are plump and tight but before any yellow flowers open — usually 4-7 inches across. Cut the stalk at an angle so water runs off instead of pooling and rotting the stem. Then wait: side shoots the size of large florets will keep coming for a month or more.