Broccoli is a hardy vegetable of the cabbage family that is high in vitamins A and D. It develops best during cool seasons of the year. When broccoli plants of most varieties are properly grown and harvested, they can yield over an extended period. Side heads develop after the large, central head is removed. Two crops per year (spring and fall) may be grown in most parts of the country. New heat tolerant varieties allow broccoli to be produced in all but the hottest parts of the season. Transplants are recommended to give the best start for spring planting, because transplanting gets the plants establish more quickly. Thus they can bear their crop with minimal interference from the extreme heat of early summer. Fall crops may be direct-seeded in the garden if space allows or may be started in flats to replace early crops when their harvest ends. Use starter fertilizer for transplants and side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are half grown. Provide ample soil moisture, especially as the heads develop. 

• Cruiser (58 days to harvest; uniform, high yield; tolerant of dry conditions)
• Green Comet (55 days; early; heat tolerant)
• Green Goliath (76 days; spring, summer or fall; tolerant of extremes)
• Patron (77 days; mid-late season)
• Captain (79 days; spring or fall bunching; tolerant to downy mildew)
• Barbados (81 days; late summer or early fall harvest; tolerant to downy mildew)
• Arcadia (86 days; fall harvest; black rot and downy mildew tolerant)
• Eureka (87 days; fall harvest; tolerant to black rot and downy mildew)

 

Transplant young, vigorously growing plants in early spring.

 

The edible part of broccoli are compact clusters of unopened flower buds and the attached portion of stem. The green buds develop first in one large central head and later in several smaller side shoots. Cut the central head with 5 to 6 inches of stem.

 

Plant seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, or set transplants slightly deeper than they were grown originally. Plant or thin seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart in the row and allow 36 inches between rows. Broccoli plants grow upright, often reaching a height of 2 1/2

 

Moist, Well-Drained
 

Full Sun
Partial Sun/Shade
 

Fresh
 

Bacterial Disease

• Black Rot of Cole Crops (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris)

Environmental Damage

• Drought
• Drowning and Edema

Fungal Disease

• Downy Mildew [Vegetables] (Bremia, Peronospora, and Pseudoperonospora spp.)

Herbicide Injury

• Amino Acid (ALS) Inhibitor Herbicide Injury
• Photosynthesis (PSI and PSII) Inhibitor Herbicide Injury
• Pigment Inhibitor Herbicide Injury
• Plant Growth Regulator (PGR) Herbicide Injury

Insect Damage

• Aphids [Vegetables] (Aphididae)
• Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella)
• Imported Cabbageworm
• Root Maggots

Additional pests and problems that may affect this plant:

Insects:

• Imported cabbage worm
• Cabbage looper

Diseases

• Alternaria black spot (Alternaria brassicae and A. brassicicola)
• Bacterial soft rot (Erwinia carotovora)
• Black leg (Phoma lingam)
• Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris)
• Club root (Plasmodiophora brassicae)
• Fusarium yellows (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans)
• Rhizoctonia bottom rot (Rhizoctonia solani)
• Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiurum)
• Wirestem (Rhizoctonia solani)

Adapted to light, heavy or muck soils. Require adequate supply of moisture. Cool season vegetable, does not perform well under hot conditions.

 

Home, Yard & Garden Pest Guide
The Home, Yard & Garden Pest Guide (C1391) provides is written for homeowners and other residents and provides nonchemical and current chemical recommendations for controlling pests associated with trees, shrubs, turf, flowers, groundcovers, vegetables, fruit, and houses. In addition, you'll find detailed information about integrated pest management, pesticide safety, and pesticide application and calibration techniques. This publication may be purchased at your local University of Illinois Extension Unit office, or by calling 800-345-6087, or by placing an order online (search for "C1391").
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U of IL - Distance Diagnosis through Digital Imaging
A free plant, weed, insect and disease identification service available through your local University of Illinois Extension office. Center Educators or State Specialists review & respond to information and digital images submitted by local Extension office personnel. Some samples may require further examination or culture work (nominal fee involved) at the U of IL Plant Clinic.
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U of IL - Plant Clinic
Services include plant and insect identification, diagnosis of disease, insect, weed and chemical injury (chemical injury on field crops only), nematode assays, and help with nutrient related problems, as well as recommendations involving these diagnoses. Microscopic examinations, laboratory culturing, virus assays, and nematode assays are some of the techniques used in the clinic.
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