Broccoli harvest time (Full grown broccoli plant) – Best time to harvest broccoli

How to grow broccoli in home garden. (Broccoli production guide.) The broccoli we started growing in late October is now ready to harvest.

Broccoli time to grow? The broccoli seedlings were planted in late autumn (around November) and overwintered with tunnel cultivation.

Broccoli when to harvest? Broccoli was harvested in early March. It was grown over winter and harvested in spring, known as “spring harvest broccoli".

Harvesting broccoli (Broccoli plant full grown)

Broccoli production guide (Best way to grow broccoli) – Broccoli growing instructions

Broccoli was prepared in late October last year. The soil became compact due to the high temperatures and dryness of summer, making broccoli cultivation a bit challenging as it is. So, I loosened the soil. (Best growing conditions for broccoli.)

The compost and fertilizers used for growing broccoli are fully ripened cattle manure compost, chicken manure, and canola cake. This broccoli is grown through pesticide-free organic farming, so organic compost and fertilizers are used. (Best organic fertilizer for broccoli.)

Soil preparation for broccoli

After mixing soil and fertilizer, we’ll level the bed and create planting plots for broccoli. We’ll cover the bed for broccoli with black plastic mulch sheets and grow them using mulching. With mulching, you get benefits like preventing nutrient runoff and maintaining soil granular structure. (Broccoli garden tips.)

Create broccoli bed and mulch

The planting time for broccoli was early November. (Best time to plant broccoli.) Broccoli planting tips, when planting broccoli, it’s important to handle the seedlings carefully. Broccoli seedlings have thin stems and soft leaves, so be careful not to break them. (Best way to plant broccoli.)

Plant broccoli seedlings

Broccoli, belonging to the Brassica family, is a vegetable susceptible to insect damage. (Cabbage worms and aphids prefer vegetables of the Brassica family.) Planting broccoli is done in November, when insect activity tends to decrease, but it’s still wise to take preventive measures against insects. Cover the broccoli bed with insect netting and grow them under mesh tunnel.

After planting broccoli, install insect netting

In mid-December, I performed winter cultivation management for broccoli (preparing for overwintering, and warming the broccoli bed). A guideline for warming broccoli bed is when the highest temperatures reach single digits.

As a cold weather measure, cover the broccoli bed with non-woven fabric. Placing non-woven fabric over insect netting helps to retain warmth, allowing broccoli to grow gradually even during winter.

The non-woven fabric used for wintering broccoli
Covering the broccoli bed with non-woven fabric

In mid-January, we fertilized the broccoli. January is a cold time during winter, but we applied fertilizer to supplement nutrients. (Broccoli plant winter care.)

The fertilization of broccoli was done in mid-January

Broccoli garden tips. Winter vegetables like broccoli often require additional fertilization, commonly done in January, because it takes about a month for the fertilizer to take effect during winter.

Broccoli harvest time (March is best time to harvest broccoli) – Broccoli plant full grown

When I measured the broccoli head, it was about 14cm (5.5 inches) in diameter. About 2 weeks ago, it was about 7cm (2.8 inches).

Broccoli head is about 14cm (5.5 inches)

Broccoli harvest time is here. Broccoli is harvested by cutting below the head.

Broccoli is harvested by cutting below the head
Harvested broccoli

Harvesting the main broccoli head is now finished. Looking lower, there are side shoots. These can also be harvested. I want to let the side shoots grow a bit more before picking them.

Broccoli side shoots

Related information on broccoli cultivation(Frequently Asked Questions for growing broccoli)

Is mulch needed for growing broccoli?

Mulch is not absolutely necessary for growing broccoli, but it can be helpful. Mulch helps keep the soil warm and prevents fertilizer and soil from being washed away. One more advantage of mulch is that it reduces weed growth. You can buy regular black polythene mulch at a home improvement store or gardening store.

Is pinching necessary for broccoli?

Don’t pinch broccoli. Broccoli is a vegetable that grows a large central buds to harvest, so if you pinch it before harvesting, the growing will stop there. Be careful if you are also growing “stem broccoli", which does need pinching, as it’s easy to mix them up.

What if broccoli starts to bloom?

You can still eat broccoli even if it has started to bloom a little. However, blooming broccoli may not taste as good, since it’s past its best eating time. Broccoli is a vegetable that should be harvested while still in bud. As blooming continues, the texture becomes tougher, and it may develop a bitter taste, so try to harvest it at the right time.

Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.

Broccoli harvest time (Full grown broccoli plant) – Best time to harvest broccoli – YouTube