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