How To Grow Broccoli At Home | SEED TO HARVEST
Broccoli is worth growing for its nutritional content alone. This cole crop is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a good source of vitamin A, potassium folic acid, iron, and fiber.
https://surfingpickuplines.online/Broccoli is a cool-season crop, so it should be started in early winter months.
You can start seeds in almost any type of container, as long as it’s at least 4-6 inches deep and has some drainage holes at the bottom. Choose potting soil that is made for growing seedlings or you can make your own soil mix by mixing.
SEEDLING MIX: 40% GARDEN SOIL+ 30% COCOPEAT+ 30% VERMICOMPOST.
Before planting the seeds moisten the soil mix well. Now, sprinkle small seeds evenly over the soil surface. Since they are so small, broccoli seeds should only be planted about half to a quarter inch deep. Water the newly planted seeds with a mister or a small watering bottle.
Tag your seeds and keep the pot in full sun, 6-7 hours of sunlight is ideal for early germination. Make sure to keep the soil mix evenly moist for the first 12-15 days.
For the most part, growing broccoli from seed is fairly quick. It takes about 5-10 days for the seedlings to start popping out the soil. Check soil moisture daily and water if required.
Day 28, Check soil moisture with your hand and water if required. The surface may dry out, so check just under it with your fingers. Provide consistent soil moisture with regular watering, especially during the initial growth stages.
Transplant seedlings when they are 5 to 7 inches in height. Usually, this will take about 28-35 days. The height and plant development are more important than the duration of the germination process. Always use big containers to plant your broccoli plants. In a 22-inch diameter pot, you can plant 4 broccoli seedlings.
CONTAINER SIZE: DIAMETER - 22 INCH, DEPTH - 14 INCH.
Dig holes about 4-6 inches deep and plant them deeper. Burying your broccoli plants deep into the soil helps them grow better because broccoli form roots all along any buried portion of the stem. Broccoli plants need their space to grow well as they are heavy feeders. Planting them close will hamper their growth. So, keep at least 8-10 inches of gap between two broccoli plants for healthy growth.
FINAL SOIL MIX: 60% GARDEN SOIL+ 40% ORGANIC COMPOST (VERMICOMPOST)
Dampen the soil with a thorough watering after transplanting.
SUNLIGHT
Broccoli requires a site with exposure to full sun (6 to 8 hours per day). Lack of sunlight may produce thin, leggy plants and subpar heads.
WATERING
Make sure to keep the soil mix evenly moist for the first 12-15 days. Provide consistent soil moisture with regular watering, especially during the initial growth stages
As plants start to grow bigger remove the bottom leaves so as to force the plant to concentrate its energy in the upper part that will later produce broccoli heads. Remove weeds in containers as soon as you notice them. Pull them up carefully, or loosen the roots with a fork or trowel. Try to get all the roots, and never let weeds go to seed or you’ll have a real problem on your hands.
FERTILIZATION
Fertilize your plants after every 18 – 20 days. Using an organic nitrogen-rich fertilizer, cattle manure, leaf mold, and fish emulsions works well for fertilizing broccoli plants.
This stage of growth between germination and flowering is known as the vegetative phase of plant development. During this stage, the plant focuses on upward growth and storing resources to use for flowering.
Day 75, At this stage plant will focus its energy on upward growth and head formation. For the plant to produce the main head, vegetative growth slows down to almost a standstill, all resources within the plant get directed to forming the main flower head sitting atop the broccoli stalk.
You can cover broccoli heads with leaves, this will prevent the head from getting wet, as it can encourage rot and at the same time leaves will protect the head from pests and diseases.
Day 85, The perfect time to harvest is right before the broccoli flowers. Look for closed flower heads; yellow flowers mean the quality clock is already counting down, so harvest immediately.
Cut heads from the plants, taking at least 5-6 inches of stem.
SIDE SHOOTS
After the main head of broccoli is harvested. Apical dominance breaks. Plant hormones send internal massages to the cells within the plant, encouraging the development of side shoots off the main stalk of the broccoli plant.
PEST AND DISEASES
Broccoli growing problems also include bacterial and fungal diseases. Several leaf spot diseases infect broccoli plants. Rotate crops to avoid growing members of the Cole family in the same area more than once every three years.
Broccoli can be easily grown in small pots, 6-10 inch diameter pots should be sufficient. For a pot this size, one plant will do the best.
