How To Grow Broccoli In Your Kitchen Garden? Follow These Tips

Adding fruits, vegetables, and herbs to your home garden can be one of the best ways to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Out of the many options, growing the green vegetable, broccoli can be a great addition. Broccoli is prized for its immense benefits and is even known as a superfood.

As per research published in the journal Antibiotics in 2023, broccoli can help lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular functions. So, instead of getting broccoli from the market, why don’t you rely on the fresh batch of broccoli from your kitchen garden?

When To Plant Broccoli?

The first step before planning any crop in your kitchen garden is to do a little research about their requirements for growth. Since broccoli is a cool season plant, ensure that the temperature ranges around 15-25°C. As for India, the best time to grow broccoli is either from September to November or January to February.

Prepare The Soil

Once you have bought the seeds for broccoli, the next step is to prepare the soil. You can start by balancing the pH level from 6.0 to 7.0. Then, organic compost and some natural fertilisers should be added to make the soil nutritious. 

Regular Watering And Proper Sunlight

Just like most fruits and vegetables, broccoli thrives in direct sunlight, too. So, before sowing the seeds, select a spot that gets at least 5 to 7 hours of sunlight. Typically, broccoli requires deep watering about twice a week. On the rest of the days, you can check the upper layer of the soil. If it is moist, avoid overwatering as it can cause waterlogging and damage the vegetable.

Protect From Pests

Since vegetables attract pests quickly, it’s important to take precautions. Some of the natural ways to protect the yield include spraying neem oil that repels insects. You can also add organic pesticides, like a homemade mixture of garlic and chilli, which also protects the broccoli from pests, infections, and insects.

When To Harvest?

Just like there is a right time to sow the seeds, harvesting too should be done at the perfect time. To ensure that broccoli is not overripe, you can look for its heads to be dark green in colour and about 5-7 inches in diameter. Since flowering makes the broccoli taste bitter, harvest the vegetable before its flowers start to open.