Plant Now- Broccoli
1 September 2011
Plant now
Broccoli
Broccoli is part of the Brassica family and is a wonderful vegetable to grow in the cooler parts of the year. Harvest the centre head with a slanting cut to shed water and allow the outer side shoots to grow to a good size before harvesting; this makes broccoli a great cut-and-come-again crop.
When to sow: From late November to March in most areas; in subtropical areas you can plant almost all year round.
Spacing: Plant broccoli every 45–60cm in rows 45–60cm apart.
Depth of planting: Sow seeds in position 6mm deep.
For best supply: Sow about 10 plants every four to six weeks throughout the season for the average family.
Time from planting till harvest: Harvest broccoli in 11–16 weeks.
Different varieties
The most common variety that we all recognise is the Calabrese broccoli, which produces a single large flower head that is picked green just before it blooms. Summer Green will stand the hot weather better than other varieties while Shogun Winter Harvest prefers cooler temperatures. Waltham gives more amounts of broccoli over a longer period than most and Romanesco has a lighter green colour and more unusual shaped heads. The increasingly popular broccolini is a cross between Chinese kale and broccoli and gives smaller, longer heads instead of one large central one.
Tips: If growing broccoli as a cut-and-come-again crop, be sure to feed regularly with an organic fertiliser. A handful of Dynamic Lifter every three to four weeks will do wonders, or try a weak solution of manure tea or water with the water produced from a worm farm.
Organic pest control
Organic gardeners are often worried by caterpillars munching on their brassicas but there’s no need to be overly concerned. As long as enough leaf is left to allow for photosynthesis to occur, your broccoli will be OK. The caterpillars rarely eat the broccoli heads themselves and tend to disappear by the time the heads are well formed. The best method of organic pest control is to inspect and remove caterpillars daily or, if time doesn’t allow, you could try sprinkling the broccoli’s leaves with a little cayenne pepper or try planting yellow marigolds somewhere nearby and the moths will hopefully lay their eggs on those instead of your crop of broccoli. Remember, too, that you can get rid of any nasty insects by simply submerging your picked broccoli for a few minutes in a sink filled with salted water then rinse with clean water.
BREAKOUT BOX:
The value of presidential endorsement
A presidential endorsement is always a good thing, but ex-president George Bush (Snr) angered American broccoli farmers when on March 22, 1990, he said, “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” Broccoli consumption plummeted by 15 per cent under his presidency. When the Clintons succeeded him into the White House and Hilary announced broccoli would be back on the White House menu, broccoli sales increased by 50 per cent the following year.
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