How to Grow Broccoli
Broccoli At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -7°C
Plant Family
Brassicaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Broccoli shrugs off light frost, so sow it about 3 weeks before your last spring frost, and again in midsummer for a fall crop. Sow 2 to 3 seeds 0.5 cm deep every 30 cm and cover lightly. They sprout in 5 to 10 days: keep the strongest seedling at each spot and snip off the others.
Broccoli loves cool weather and turns bitter or flowers early in a heat wave, so timing matters more than anything else. A midsummer sowing that ripens in the cool of fall is often the sweetest crop. After you cut the big head, side shoots keep coming for weeks.
When To Start
First chance to plant
45 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Broccoli?
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Your Broccoli Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Broccoli Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow broccoli outdoors now, it handles light frost
3 weeks before your last frost· every year
Optional: start broccoli indoors in small cells
6 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Plant indoor broccoli seedlings out into rich soil
2 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Cut broccoli before the buds open, then pick side shoots
80 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your broccoli seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your broccoli is growing strong! Keep the soil evenly moist and feed it well, since it is a hungry plant.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your broccoli is nearly there. Cut the head while the buds are tight, before any yellow flowers open.
About 50 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your broccoli.
About 60 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Broccoli's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
0.5 cm
Seeding Depth
30 cm
Plant Spacing
60 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Tower.
Method: Tower.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow broccoli in full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
- 2Mix plenty of compost into the soil before planting, since broccoli is a hungry plant.
- 3Water deeply about once a week so the soil stays evenly moist, and lay mulch around the plants to keep the roots cool.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks to grow big heads.
- 5Cover the plants with row cover from the day you plant them, because small white butterflies lay eggs that hatch into green caterpillars.
- 6Check under the leaves and pick off any caterpillars by hand.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~60
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Harvest before flower heads open
How to Harvest
- 1Cut the main head when it is firm and tight, with dark green buds, before any yellow flowers open.
- 2Use a sharp knife to cut the stem 10 to 15 cm below the head, on a slant so water runs off.
- 3Leave the plant in the ground, and smaller side shoots will grow from where the leaves meet the stem for several more weeks.
- 4Keep picking the side shoots before they flower to keep them coming.
- 5Store broccoli unwashed in a bag in the fridge for up to a week, or blanch (dip in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, then cold water) and freeze it.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Broccoli crosses with cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and collards, since they are all the same kind of plant, so let only one of them flower within about 800 m. A single broccoli plant cannot pollinate itself well, so let at least 6 plants flower together. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. Leave the yellow flowers to turn into thin pods, and pull the whole plant once most pods are dry and brown, then hang it in a dry place to finish. Crush the pods in a bag, pick out the round seeds, and store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry spot for about 5 years.
Seed Production
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