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Step by Step Pictures – How We Grow Broccoli

April 28, 2016 Leave a Comment

I really believe the KEY to growing beautiful, compact broccoli heads is in getting them planted early to avoid “bolting” during the heat of summer.  My neighbor is a green thumb.  He is so talented. But the one thing I have had success with that he hasn’t is broccoli.  The only difference in our methods is that I have planted them earlier and used straw to protect them.  He had his in tall wooden boxes and I think the boxes held the heat in, the broccoli bolted, and he ended up with long stringy broccoli plants.  So remember, Plant Early and use Straw to protect the plants.

Starting broccoli seeds indoors is pretty easy and will save you a lot of money.  This spring was really busy for me though, and I didn’t get any started.  I found 9-packs of “Pacman” Broccoli at the store.  Pacman is my favorite broccoli!  Each 9-pack was about $3.50 which means, if they live, I will get big bunches of broccoli for about $.40 each (plants plus other supplies).  That still represents a huge savings over buying broccoli in the grocery store, not to mention it will be fresher and I get to control what chemicals (if any) are added to it.

First, my teenage son tilled up the ground with a rototiller.  He did a great job and the soil was just like cocoa powder.  If your soil isn’t so great, I recommend you follow the suggestions in the book, Let’s Get Growing by Crow Miller. I have learned so much from that book! Crow calls it a “dirt under the nails primer”.  It is organized, easy to read, and so full of wisdom from a farmer dedicated to growing things organically.

Second, my other teenage son raked out the soil.  Then two more of my kids, plus a neighbor kid, joined in to help.

Whenever you buy little packs of plants, the roots are often wound up pretty tight.  You want to carefully pull the roots apart a little.  I really stink at this, and yet my plants still manage to live.

We dug holes 4-5 inches deep, 4-5 inches across, and about 2-3 feet apart.  We placed the plant in the hole, added a little dirt, and poured in about a cup of water mixed with vegetable plant food. We have a very short growing season in northern SD, so in addition to amending our soil organically with compost and natural fertilizers like manure, we give our plants a nutritional boost by adding the plant food.  When it comes to controlling pests and weeds, we go completely organic.

 

Next we added more dirt and firmly packed it around the plant.
Last, we mulched with the straw that had covered the strawberry bed for the winter.  Mulch is awesome.  It keeps the soil moist between watering/rain, slows weed growth, lets you work in your garden without your shoes getting muddy, keeps soil borne diseases from splashing up onto your plants, keeps cats from digging in your garden beds, and protects tender young plants from harsh winds.  If the mulch is organic, it also amends the soil as it decomposes.  Mulch is definitely your friend.  We pulled the straw away from each plant just a little to allow more rain to the base of the plant, but overall we put about 3 inches of straw over the whole bed.

Our kitties are so frisky and so attracted to the freshly tilled ground and new plants.  They want to roll in it, roll all over you and roll all over the plants.  It’s a good thing they are so cute.

orange tabby cat, farm cat
Buddy is a good boy and will stay to the side of the garden, especially if you remind him.  I think he was a little sleepy in these pictures, but he loves to watch over us when we work in the gardens.
Twenty seven broccoli plants, all mulched and ready to go!
About 1 week later, my friend JoAnn gave me a whole truck load of composted manure.  Compost is “gardeners gold” and I got a whole truck full!!!!!
I would have just tilled it into the bed before I planted the broccoli if I had it earlier, but since I didn’t I “side dressed” the broccoli by moving the straw aside and  putting a few scoops of the composted manure at the base of the plant.  Then I replaced the straw.
It is important that the manure is “composted” and not “fresh”.  Composted manure is old, decomposed and mixed with dirt and straw.  My friend scrapes it out of her horse coral and piles it up in the pasture.  Fresh manure can give your plants a nitrogen burn.
I know the broccoli was happy to get the manure, but then we had a cold snap…
And this is what 23 degrees for two nights in a row will do to your broccoli.  See how it faded the leaves?  I know it would have been even worse without the straw.  Remember, broccoli is a “cold weather” plant, meaning you don’t want to plant it too late or else the hot weather will cause it to “bolt” and not make nice compact heads.  So I don’t think we planted it too early.  We just have a short growing season here in South Dakota and this happens sometimes.  I hope they bounce back soon!
Hello friend, this post contains Amazon affiliate links which means I receive a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link, at no additional cost to you.  And no worries….I only link to products that I love! ~Rebecca

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I’m Rebecca. I created this blog for those who love living on, or dream of living on, a little piece of land. Some posts are meant to inspire you to try something new,  others are just for fun.  Always, I welcome you to explore our little farm and get a glimpse of the rural life we love.

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