Growing broccoli in home gardens

Broccoli is an important green vegetable in Minnesota. Small, edible floral shoots make up a broccoli plant’s head.You can eat the tender, bright green flower stalks and undeveloped flowers raw as part of a vegetable platter, or chopped and mixed into a salad or slaw. Some prefer broccoli cooked in a soup or in a savory sauté, as well as stir-fried or steamed as a side dish.The leaves of broccoli plants are edible. Use them as you would kale or collards. Some varieties have purple coloring when raw. This coloring usually fades, leaving a bright green hue after cooking.Grow broccoli in well drained yet moisture-retentive, fertile soil with pH of 6 to 7.

• Apply phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) according to soil test recommendations.  
• Many Minnesota soils have enough phosphorus. Unless your soil test report specifically recommends additional phosphorus, use a low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer.

It is not worth growing broccoli unless the plants absorb water and nutrients steadily during their growth. Improve your soil by adding well-rotted manure or compost in spring or fall. Do not use fresh manure as it may contain harmful bacteria, and may increase weed problems.  Side-dress when the plants are about four inches tall. Do not use any fertilizer containing a weed killer (“Weed and Feed”), as it may kill your vegetable plants.Many things can affect broccoli leaves and crowns. Changes in physical appearance and plant health can be caused by the environment, plant diseases, insects and wildlife. In order to address what you’re seeing, it is important to make a correct diagnosis.

You can find additional help identifying common pest problems by using the online diagnostic tools or by sending a sample to the UMN Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic. You can use Ask a Master Gardener to share pictures and get input.Cauliflower is trickier to grow than its relatives because it doesn’t like it too hot… or too cold. Homegrown, freshly-harvested cauliflower from the garden is worth the effort of learning how to grow cauliflower successfully.