If you are wondering how to grow broccoli, you've come to the right spot!
Broccoli is my favourite veggie to eat! I learned to grow it years ago because I wanted to have fresh, home grown broccoli year round! As broccoli is imported to Canada, it's price is dependent on the tariff war so growing your own guarantees your own supply!
Now this blog post comes with a warning, once you grow it for yourself, I can guarantee you won’t want to buy it in a store! The taste and quality of home grown broccoli is amazing!
Broccoli is in the brassica or cole family. This means it is susceptible to insect pressure like cabbage moth, cabbage lopper and flea or canola beetles. It makes it challenging to grow chemically free if you live in an area where canola is grown (it is also in the brassica family so if an insect is in the canola, it's in your broccoli too!).
While shorter season broccoli can be direct seeded, if you live in the northern parts of Canada, you will want to start your broccoli as a transplant about a month before you want to plant it into the garden. Broccoli is a cool season crop so it doesn't like a lot of heat. If you live in an area in Canada where canola isn’t grown due to the heat, find a cool spot in your yard to grow it!
Before you plant, apply a few inches of compost to the soil. You don’t have to work it in, the worms will pick it up and take it where they need it to be! Broccoli is a heavy feeder and needs a lot of water to grow! If you can, water in the early morning. Try to water the soil rather than the plant itself and be mindful of the water that you are using. Avoid using water that could be contaminated with manure (ie dugout water). Well water can be heavy in salts depending on where you live so aim to collect rain water to use!
Now here is the key to chemical free broccoli that you grow in your own garden, insect netting! Insect netting will stop the cabbage moth from landing on your broccoli and laying eggs. The caterpillar of the cabbage moth will destroy an entire plant if it has access to it. Block the access and you can grow broccoli without chemicals!
Don’t forget to grow purple broccoli for a stunning addition to your meals! It’s got a magic trick as if you heat it up, it turns back to green!
For more detailed instructions on how to grow broccoli in your own garden in Canada, check out my gardening community!
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