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BROCCOLI AT A GLANCE

COMMON NAME: Broccoli

SPECIES: Brassica oleracea (Bras'i-ka) (ol-er-a-cea); oleraceous means edible, fit for kitchen

VARIETIES: Green Comet, Premiere. Two types of broccoli: heading and sprouting; most gardeners grow heading variety. Sprouting broccoli forms lots of florets but not a solid head.

BACKGROUND: Like cauliflower, cabbages, kale and other cole crops, broccoli was derived from a species of wild cabbage.

DESCRIPTION: Biennial grown as an annual. Grayish-green leaves and fleshy, edible stems supporting heads of densely clustered flower buds. Heads may be green, blue-green or purple-green.

LIGHT: Sun.

SOIL: Rich soil with a pH or acidity of 6.0-6.7.

CULTURE: Needs long, cool growing season, with temperatures 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Not as frost hardy as cabbage. Keep moist but not overly wet. Space 12-18 inches.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Rich in calcium.

HARVEST: Transplants do well in spring after spring hard frost is past or in late summer for fall or winter eating. Matures in 60-100 days. Harvest with 6-8 inches of stalk, before yellow appears in bud. Separate head where it branches and soak for 30 minutes to float out any worms.

PROBLEMS: Aphids, cutworms, black rot, to name a few.

FERTILIZER: Heavy feeder of nitrogen. Use starter fertilizer with transplants. Sidedress - add fertilizer along the sides of the plants - in three weeks and possibly again using 1 1/2 ounces of 33-0-0 per 10-foot row.

Sources: local garden centers, Taylor's Guide to Vegetables, Virginia Cooperative Extension

 

October 1997

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