Whether as a creamy soup, salad or as a vegetable with pasta, fish and meat - broccoli from your own garden or balcony tastes delicious and can be used in many ways. So go ahead and cut and harvest fresh green broccoli florets correctly.
How do you harvest broccoli correctly?
To harvest broccoli properly, cut off the main shoot with closed flower buds and about 10 cm of stalk as soon as a firm head forms. Make the cut directly on the armpit to encourage regrowing side shoots and to be able to harvest multiple times.
Start earlier and harvest fresh broccoli for longer
If you prefer broccoli in March, you can enjoy the first delicious florets from June. Sow the green cabbage directly outdoors from mid-May to the first harvest in June. This guarantees an always fresh broccoli harvest from late summer to the end of October.
Broccoli thrives particularly well in a sunny, wind-protected location with nutrient-rich, calcareous soil. But make sure that no cabbage plants have been grown on the bed for the past three years. To harvest firm, green broccoli, dig the soil deeply and amend the soil with enough lime, compost or manure.
Proper care ensures a he althy broccoli crop
As soon as broccoli seedlings have developed four pairs of leaves, plant them in the bed 50 centimeters apart. Broccoli is very thirsty and needs enough water. When the first firm head forms in the middle, harvest the first broccoli in good time. Because in summer it quickly turns yellow or brown and loses its aroma.
Cut broccoli correctly and harvest several times
Important: The buds should be ripe but still closed when harvested. First cut off only the main shoot with flower buds including 10 cm of stalk. If the cut is made directly on the armpit, small florets will sprout again on the side and can be harvested several times. Later, harvest the regrowing side shoots underneath, from which further flower heads will develop. This extends the harvest by around 3 to 4 weeks.
Harvest broccoli in abundance
Unbelievable but true! Recreational gardeners harvest around one kilo of broccoli per plant. So many nutritious vegetables are he althy and a great experience. Depending on the variety and start of cultivation, the harvest time is from June to the end of October. The Purple Sprouting broccoli variety can be harvested as early as March or April. No matter which type of broccoli, there are usually around 90 days between sowing and harvesting.
Tips & Tricks
Don’t forget the vegetable net. This effectively protects the broccoli from cabbage fly infestation and keeps the vegetables he althy.
