Tips & Tricks To Grow Broccoli
Broccoli is a delicious green vegetable that offers a variety of wonderful health benefits. It is also very versatile and is used in a number of dishes, or it can simply be eaten raw, whether alone or in a salad. Below, we have provided some tips for growing broccoli in your very own backyard.
Make sure you are in the right environment and season. Broccoli prefers slightly cooler, mild weather, so take this into consideration when deciding whether you’d like to grow it in your garden.
Prep your soil. Broccoli prefers well-drained soil and an area with good circulation. Be sure to choose a place in your garden that can provide both. Many people may not know that broccoli can grow up to 3 feet tall! Keep this in mind when planting as well so that it does not end up giving other plants in your garden too much shade or block their sunlight. Broccoli likes a lot of compost and fertilizer, so prep your soil accordingly to ensure healthy, full growth.
Get your seeds ready. Growing broccoli from seeds is simple if done properly. You can get a head start on your broccoli crop by first planting the broccoli seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the end-of-season frost. Once the plants grow leaves and the frost has disappeared, plant them in your vegetable garden.
Get them in the ground. Plant your broccoli plants about 18 inches apart, since broccoli is a wide- and full-growing plant.
Add compost or mulch. Once the plant grows about a 1-inch head, add a top layer of compost or mulch about 1-inch thick. Not only does this help to retain moisture, but mulch is also excellent for preventing rot and deterring weed growth.
Water your plants regularly. This particular vegetable does best in moist soil, so be sure to water your plants at least once per week if there has been little to no rainfall. They usually prefer about 1 to 2 inches of water.
Prevent pests. It is recommended that you add a paper collar around your plants to keep worms – as well as other pests – from attacking its leaves.
Harvest. Go ahead and remove the broccoli when you feel that the heads are big enough to use and eat. Make sure you remove them before you see any yellow, which means that they are beginning to grow buds and they may at that point be overripe.
