Broccoli

Post date: Feb 4, 2020 12:31:48 AM

Many have asked me about broccoli. I have 25-30 beautiful heads this season. The winter has been perfect for the heads to form in Jan.

But can we sow now is the question. The unfortunate answer is: No. why?

Broccoli is a winter loving plant. Heads won’t form unless the plant is exposed to really cold nights of temps not higher than the 40s.

If you sowed now, when the climate is warming up, they will all go to seed and fail.

What can be done in our zone? Two strategies:

1. Sow early. In July. Keep the young plant protected from the harsh sun with shade cloth and iced water.

2. Put the plant out by early September. And hope for a harvest in December.

3. The plant must be 2-3 months old before frost. And there must be a good early frost for this method to work. It is a hit or miss.

4. The strategy that works for me here in Atlanta is one that overwinters the broccoli. Sow in August as the summer almost ends.

5. Nurture the plant through September in semi shade below the tree shade in the patio. And put into the ground in early October.

6. Ensure the plant is strong and mature by the time frost hits. Allow it to simply sit through the winter.

9. Soon as Persephone ends in early Jan, heads form. And after harvesting the main head, side shoots yield more broccoli until end March.

Sow some late summer this year. For those that read the Gardening 101 notes, the above is a classic example of managing the microclimate for plant yields.