Broccoli grown in the Ural conditions, can be called a multivitamin concentrate. It is a useful vegetable and contains mineral salts of phosphorus, iron, calcium, 2-3 times more than cauliflower. It can be noted that choline and methionine contained in protein prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the body and prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Broccoli is beneficial affects digestion.
In folk medicine, it is recommended to eat those who need a diet and vitamins to prevent cardiovascular diseases and strengthen the nervous system. When growing and caring for broccoli, it should be borne in mind that this is a drought-resistant, cold-resistant and light-loving culture. On the beds, located in sunny places, it grows better and gives a harvest in earlier periods.
Plants tolerate short-term heat and frost down to minus 6-7. A characteristic feature of this crop is its ability to form a crop on the side arms (stepsons) after cutting the head on the central shoot. Thus, due to this feature, it is possible to extend the life of the plant itself and maximize its yield. In preparation for growing broccoli cabbage, for early plantings it is better to choose areas protected from cold winds, and for later ones open, well-ventilated.
Growing broccoli
In the Urals, broccoli grows well and gives high yields. Grow it seedlings and sowing seeds in the ground. A bed of cabbage is fertilized, mineral fertilizers are applied, humus - 1–2 buckets per m, if the soil is acidic, it is lime.
Broccoli Seed Preparation
Seeds before sowing are heated in hot water (48-50) for 20 minutes. Then 8 hours are soaked in one of the solutions: boric acid (0.5 g per liter), potassium permanganate (1 g per liter), or in an infusion of ash. An infusion of ash is prepared as follows:1 l. water, a tablespoon of wood ash, mix everything and leave for 2 days, stirring occasionally. Then put cabbage seeds into the ash infusion and take 5 hours to remove them, dry and sow. Broccoli seedlings are grown using the same technology as other types of cabbage.
Broccoli sprouts growing, planting
Sprouts broccoli cabbage planting time.
- Sowing starts from the first decade of May and ends on June 20. Broccoli seeds for growing seedlings are sown six weeks before planting in the soil for the early ones, and for 35–40 days for later plantings.
Seedlings are planted on a bed with a distance between rows of 50 cm, and 30-35 cm between plants, in cloudy weather, they must be watered. In the future, the soil under the cabbage is kept moist, watered especially well in dry weather, and after watering they loosen the aisles to provide access air to roots. A broccoli cabbage is early ripening, forms heads in 20 -25, and yields will give in 27-35 days after disembarkation of seedling to soil.
Broccoli growing and care
When large heads grow on the plant, they are cut at the base. This contributes to the rapid growth of lateral shoots and the formation of new heads. It is necessary to clean them more often. Old plants give small heads, which quickly crumble.
Therefore, broccoli early May planting dates used in food until the beginning - mid-September.
Broccoli growing from seeds in open ground
In the Urals, broccoli grows well when sown with seeds in a moist soil of a ridge to a depth of 1.5 cm. Before sowing, the largest seeds are selected.
They are heated and soaked in the same way as described above. If the weather is dry, then before sowing the seeds, the bed is watered abundantly, and after a few hours the cabbage is sown. Dates of sowing broccoli seeds: May - the beginning of June.
A week after sowing, the first shoots will appear. Caring for cabbage crops usual - thinning, weeding, watering.
After thinning between rows should be 50 cm and 30 cm between individual plants. The main enemies of cabbage, especially in the early sowing season, are cruciferous flea. And therefore, first of all, crops of broccoli should be protected from pests. If the seeds are planted in early May, then they start harvesting in 2-3 decade of July. But more favorable conditions for sowing cabbage seeds are the last decade of May.
Seedlings are less damaged by cruciferous fleas, grow better, fruits are larger. When sown in the third decade of May, the crop is harvested in the first decade of August. And when sown in early June - cleaning in late August. The harvest of broccoli by planting seeds is no less than when growing broccoli through seedlings. When frost occurs, broccoli can be dug up and transplanted into a greenhouse. There the plants continue to grow and yield.
Growing broccoli seeds
For growing cabbage seeds on cabbage planted in May, leave one large inflorescence. They take care of the plant, spud it, tie it up to a peg for better stability. In September, the testes are cut, they do it when the pods turn yellow, and the seeds turn dark. It is important to take into account that good, high-quality and ripened seeds are obtained only from those plants that were planted in the ground in the last days of April - in the first days of May (not later!). To obtain seeds for healthy, early ripe specimens Broccoli ditches leave 2-3 powerful shoots with buds formed (heads).
As soon as the plants begin to bloom, they should be fixed, tied to pegs. At the same time, the tops of the inflorescences in the very center must be cut off by about 10 cm, since the seeds in this part ripen much later than at the edges, and often do not ripen to the required state. In order to accelerate seed ripening on the left inflorescences, it is required to promptly remove newly emerging shoots (stepchildren) while still in their embryonic state.
Cooking
Broccoli Salad
500 g of broccoli is dipped in salted boiling water, sugar is added to taste and boiled until softened. After that, broccoli is placed on a dish and poured with sauce, decorated with tomato slices and salad. Sauce: 3 tbsp. spoons of mustard, mayonnaise, 2 hard-boiled eggs, green onions, salt, sugar - all mixed up. In addition, broccoli has reparative properties: if you take the main crop off of it, then small and numerous heads will grow on it until autumn frosts edible and very tasty. And they also eat fresh shoots as food - they taste like asparagus, for which broccoli is also called asparagus cabbage.
Broccoli varieties
If you choose the right variety, then you can get this cabbage harvest until winter. Broccoli varieties can be divided into:
- Early ripening. Middle ripening. Late ripening.
The most early ripening include such varieties: Vitamin, Curly Head, Laser F1, Tonus, Caesar. Their ripening period is 72-90 days. Middle-ripening varieties produce products 90–100 days after the beginning of cultivation. These include: Monterey F1, Linda, Calabrese, Arkady F1. Late varieties: Continental, Lucky F1, Marathon F1.
How to grow broccoli
Broccoli growing technology is similar to growing ordinary cabbage. There are two ways of growing: seedling and seedless.
- 1. Growing broccoli seedlings.
Sowing seeds for seedlings should be carried out in the last days of March - early April: the period from planting seeds in boxes to planting seedlings in the soil is approximately 35 days.
- Soil preparation.
Best suited to the soil, made with his own hands from a mixture of peat, sand, garden soil and humus. Everything needs to be mixed in equal parts. Before planting seeds, warm the soil to room temperature.
- Sowing seeds.
Growing seedlings is best in boxes. Optimum dimensions: height 25 cm, length 50 cm, width 30 cm At the bottom as a drainage, you can put stones. Then pour the prepared ground into it and slightly compact it.
Draw grooves and pour them well. Then you can sow seeds in them and cover them with earth.
- Care for seedlings.
The optimum temperature for growing broccoli seedlings is 16–25 ° C. Care is normal: timely watering and thinning of seedlings. After 35–40 days, as 5 leaves are formed, the seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Broccoli grows best after beans, peas and pumpkin - consider the rules of crop rotation when you choose a place for this vegetable. in the usual way: dig, make humus. Then make holes, the distance between them is 45-50 cm, and broccoli seedlings are planted.
Plentifully watered and pritenyat for the first time. Broccoli does not like a strong sun. Young seedlings are especially sensitive to it. Therefore, it must be pritenyat, closed from the sun's rays.
To do this, usually use old buckets or spruce branches.
- 2. Growing broccoli in the open field.
Planting broccoli seeds immediately in open ground is carried out in early May, when the soil warms up a little. By the way, the soil should be prepared in the fall, digging it with humus and chicken droppings. Broccoli grows best on clay alkaline soils.
If the soil is too acidic, you need to add a little lime - this will protect the cabbage from disease. You can add superphosphate, nitrogen and potash fertilizers.
After the snow melts, the ground is again dug up and you can start planting. In order to protect the sprouted seedlings from frost, the bed must be insulated. You can use a small portable greenhouse, or put arcs and stretch polyethylene on them. When the seedlings grow a little, they thin out 1 plant 45-50 cm. In the future, care as usual: weeding, watering, loosening.
Dressing cabbage
How to grow broccoli so as to get large commodity heads? One of the secrets - in the correct and timely feeding plants. During the growth period, the cabbage must be “fed up” with mineral fertilizers twice:
- First, use a solution of urea (2 tablespoons per bucket of water) to treat the seedlings after planting it in the ground.
- The second dressing during the formation of the head: in a bucket of water dissolve 2 tablespoons of nitrophosphate and 2 grams. boric acid. This volume is designed for 5 plants.
During the entire growth period, you can water the cabbage with slurry, diluting it 1: 4. Watering to produce under the root, so as not to burn the plant, and better after sunset.
Pest control
Despite the fact that garden pests in the form of caterpillars, aphids and slugs do not particularly like broccoli, yet from time to time they may try to harm its delicate leaves. To protect the cabbage from their raids, there are effective methods:
- Spraying plants decoction of tomato tops.
Preparing the solution as follows: Boil 1 kg of tomato leaves for half an hour in 3 liters of water. Cool the broth and sprinkle them cabbage in dry and calm weather.
- Spraying decoction of bitter pepper.
Take chopped pepper (4 enough) to grind, pour in 1 liter of water, bring to a boil and boil for 1 hour. The solution must be brewed for a day. Then dilute it in a bucket of water and process the plants.
Processing must be carried out in a mask and gloves, because the solution turns out to be very pungent and causes burning, falling on the skin or mucous membranes. That's all the details of growing broccoli. By choosing the right varieties and providing ordinary care, which is practically no different from caring for white or cauliflower, you can get a big harvest of this very tasty and healthy vegetable, which was so loved in ancient Rome.
Broccoli is an extremely vitamin-rich product. It tastes like cauliflower, but is much more productive.
Broccoli is an excellent dietary product, tasty and most useful. Growing broccoli cabbage does not require much effort, it is quite unpretentious plant. Over the summer you can easily get two crops of broccoli. Broccoli can be grown with seedlings or seeds. Tips for gardeners to grow broccoli:
- In March, the seeds are sown in closed ground, and the resulting seedlings are planted in late April - early May. In June, broccoli blossoms are already ripening. To get a second crop, you can sow broccoli seeds directly in open ground in June. Growing broccoli cabbage can be done on any soil, but preferably clay and black soil. Care for broccoli is not more difficult than for ordinary white cabbage : watering, weeding, feeding. The optimum temperature for broccoli is from + 15 ° C to + 25 ° C, but the plant can withstand frosts to -7 ° C.
Seedlings are needed for early harvest, but you can start growing broccoli with the usual sowing of seeds in open ground. Just the first harvest will be no earlier than the end of June.
And if you do not like to germinate seeds, then read "How to sow seeds wholeheartedly." I take ready-made universal land for seedlings or prepare it ourselves. We mix turfy ground, humus, sand and ashes. Ash is a universal fertilizer for cabbage.
The soil should be loose, easy to pass water. Stagnant water is unacceptable when growing any cabbage - sore black leg. Although water is very popular. We prepare the same land on the plot for seedlings and where we plant the broccoli.
Choose a place in the penumbra, broccoli does not like the heat, she needs cool weather. Soils are better neutral or alkaline. Sour soil does not like.
It must be liquefied by lime or chalk.
3. Growing seedlings
Broccoli is grown through seedlings, although it is a rather early cabbage. In early April, you can sow, and in May, quietly planted in open ground. The seedling is ready for planting at the age of 30 days, plus minus a few days.
You can grow it at home, if conditions allow. My place on the window-sills barely grabs tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
And I also want to attach flowers ... And I also grow cucumbers and tomatoes at home in winter ... Therefore, I sow cabbage for seedlings right in the garden in April, under the shelter of nonwoven material and film. Seedlings grow well outside, cabbage is not afraid of cold. Frost withstands up to -7.
Tempered street seedlings survive better after transplantation and are less sick. Young shoots, until they get stronger keep under covering material.
It protects young seedlings from cruciferous flea. In detail about this method of cultivation in the article “Planting of tomatoes without seedlings”. You can sow and later in the ground, in May, June. Immediately to a permanent place.
On the plot for broccoli mark the hole at a distance of 50 to 50, it can be a little less. Put a few seeds in each well and water well. Of all the seedlings, then leave the best, the crop with this method is sown in August, September.
At the same time, young seedlings do not fall under the most massive flight of cruciferous flea beetles in early spring, and can safely grow additional shoots until October. When the weather is cool and rain pours. In any case, we often have such an autumn in the Urals.
4. Landing in open ground and care
Around the middle of May, ready-made seedlings are planted in a permanent place. In this case, we have large bushes, about 20 cm with 4-5 good leaves and roots. So that there is not just a stick there, but good thin roots with a lobe.
Such a seedling will quickly grow and go into growth. Watering at planting should be plentiful, any cabbage loves water. Then you can not much spoil broccoli, it grows better than others with minimal watering.
But during the growth of the heads - water, the harvest will be better. If you did not prepare the ground in advance according to all the rules (few people do it), add to each well when planting a handful of ash and humus, mix it with the ground. , plant before the first leaflets. After planting and watering, the ground is well mulched, so that less hassle is with care. Under mulch, the earth will not dry out longer and will not overheat - broccoli does not like extreme heat, the best temperature for it is 18-22 ° C. Mulching and weeds will help to protect yourself. I will not praise the benefits of mulch anymore, better read the article “Mulching is only for!”.
5. Diseases and pests
Kila - the famous "black leg", which affects the seedlings of cabbage. For its prevention, it is impossible to plant the seedlings to the place where cruciferous plants (rap, radish, radish, other types of cabbage) used to grow.
The best predecessors are beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, onions. Do not thicken the sowing seedlings. Slugs - from this scourge helps the eggshell. It is necessary to finely crumble and pour the shells around the plants, slugs like glass.
Caterpillars are babies of butterflies, cabbages, whiteflies and the like. They do not like the smell of taghetis (marigolds), I plant these flowers together with cabbage of any kind. And beautifully and from pests help. Caterpillars and slugs, if you snuck, you have to collect by hand later.
Cruciferous flea - they are enemies of all young cabbage plants. Broccoli is no exception. You can sprinkle with ash, pepper, tobacco.
But with hot and dry spring, these tools do not always help, just close the covering until the plants are strong.
6. Harvesting
Two, two and a half months after the emergence of broccoli forms a head-inflorescence. They ripen quickly in two or three days. Cut them off immediately, so as not to have time to bloom.
Here you need to catch on time, especially in the heat of broccoli quickly bloom yellow flowers. A good feature of broccoli cabbage is continued growth after the top inflorescence is cut. Do not rush to pull the bush.
After a couple of weeks, new buds form on the side shoots. They will be smaller than the main head, but they are just as tasty, tender and useful. The heads are kept for a short while fresh. Maximum 10 days in the refrigerator.
In future it can be frozen.
7. Useful properties of broccoli
It is the most valuable diet cabbage of all kinds. Nutritionists recommend it to people with a heart condition, vascular problems and salt deposition. It contains broccoli a lot of protein and little fiber, a large number of vitamins C, E, carotene, PP, B1.
Many trace elements - potassium, iodine, calcium, phosphorus, copper. Broccoli is useful for those who gain strength after an illness. For those who are tormented by the "ulcer", fresh broccoli juice will help speed up its healing.
8. Cooking Broccoli - Recipes
It is tasty in any dish. When cooking broccoli, do not close the lid tightly, put it immediately in boiling water. Better when cooking it a little undercook and not cook longer than 10 minutes.
This is how vitamins are stored. Broccoli can be eaten in a salad (fresh), you can fry, boil, simmer, soar. Some kind of special recipes I do not use it, just look at the other recipes. Very tasty pies with stewed broccoli.
On the filling, you can use the leaves. In general, in this cabbage everything is edible - leaves, stems, inflorescences. If they are gentle and never overgrown. tasty dish broccoli - just boil it and pour butter. Or fry on it.
Broccoli prevents kidney disease and atherosclerosis, cleanses the body from heavy metals and slag, and also protects it from the formation of malignant tumors. How then do not you love it and not grow? We invite you to learn more about agricultural technology and the basic rules of growing broccoli.
Types of broccoli
Externally, broccoli is like a green cauliflower. Just like cauliflower we eat a dense head consisting of unblown flower buds. It is important to know that two main types of broccoli are used as a crop:
Features of broccoli that are worth paying attention to
- Broccoli, like any other cabbage, is light-requiring and moisture-loving. The optimum soil moisture for growing it is 70%, and the air humidity is 85%. Broccoli is better than cauliflowertolerates heat and frost, it is able to withstand frost from -4 to -7 ° C. But best of all, broccoli succeeds at moderate temperatures of 16 to 20 ° C. Broccoli grow lateral shoots from the sinuses very quickly, so you should not pull the plant out of the ground after cutting the central head. From the side shoots you will gather additional yield. Unlike cauliflower, broccoli heads do not need to be shaded. Broccoli grows well on a balcony or loggia.
Growing broccoli seedlings and planting in open ground
Broccoli is usually grown through seedlings, but the timing of sowing is such that there is no need to tinker with boxes at home - it is much more efficient to sow seeds for seedlings in late April - early May in their greenhouse. After 30-40 days, when the fifth and sixth true leaflets appear in the broccoli seedlings, it is ready for planting in open ground. For a later harvest, some of the seeds can be sown immediately in the ground in early May. This cabbage prefers loose, fertile soils with neutral or slightly alkaline pH.
You can not plant broccoli on plots where last year any kind of cruciferous grew: cabbage, turnip, radish or radish. For her, legumes, potatoes or carrots are considered to be good predecessors. Some summer residents prefer to cook beds for broccoli in the fall: they fill the soil with potash and phosphorus fertilizers (manure, potassium nitrate and superphosphate), and carry out liming.
By the way, the limbs of eggs, worn into powder, which are easy to accumulate over the long winter and summer, are perfect for liming. Those who do not prepare the beds from autumn do not despair and perfectly compensate for the lack nutrients with the help of fertilizers. So, it's time to plant broccoli seedlings in a permanent place. This should be done in cloudy weather or in the afternoon.
Layout for broccoli: 40 centimeters between the holes, 50-60 centimeters between the rows. The moons for the seedlings dig deep. If fertilizers have not been applied to the soil in advance, the pits are filled with a mixture of ash, compost and dolomite flour.
Each plant is lightly sprinkled with earth, just a couple of centimeters above the root collar, so that most of its stem remains in the hole. As the cabbage grows into the hole, it is necessary to pour the ground until the level of the hole equals the level of the bed. To protect the newly planted seedlings from the cruciferous flea, it is recommended to cover the bed with a thin non-woven cloth.
If the flea is rampant so that folk remedies against pests do not save, young broccoli is sprayed with Iskra. This can be done no later than 20 days before the inflorescence is set. In the future, from the flea bees, dusting with ashes mixed with tobacco dust or spraying with ash infusion is used.
Watering, care and dressing broccoli
In the future, growing broccoli is reduced to timely weeding, frequent watering, dressing and loosening the soil after each watering or dressing. It is advised to water broccoli every other day (in hot summer - up to two times a day) in the evening. For normal growth and development of plants, it is necessary to maintain a moist soil layer of 12-15 centimeters deep. Broccoli loves feeding, so even in well-fed beds and filled with other fertilizers, this cabbage is still fed. As soon as the seedlings take root in a permanent place and start growing, broccoli feeds infusion of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20).
After two weeks, fertilizing is repeated. When the first inflorescences begin to form, the third dressing is also performed. For it, you can use organic fertilizers with potassium humate or a solution of mineral fertilizers - 40 grams of superphosphate, 20 grams of ammonium nitrate and 10 grams of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. The following dressings are carried out after cutting the central head to stimulate the growth of lateral shoots. To do this, dissolve 30 grams of potassium sulfate, 20 grams of superphosphate, 10 grams of ammonium nitrate in 10 liters of water). Moreover, broccoli cabbage responds well to irrigation with nettle extract or comfrey and wood ash at the rate of 1 cup per 1 square meter.
Broccoli harvesting and storage
Broccoli heads can not be grown - they need to collect green, without waiting for the buds to open and the appearance of small yellow flowers. Over-grown broccoli is not good for food. First of all, the central stem is always cut when it reaches a length of 10 centimeters, then the harvest from the side shoots is “pulled”.
The inflorescences are cut along with the shoot, because the top of the stem of broccoli is no less juicy and tasty than the heads. Broccoli is best collected early in the morning so that it does not have time to fade under the scorching sun. Early summer harvests of broccoli are not suitable for long-term storage - they lie in a cool room for a maximum of two weeks.
It is better to eat them immediately or freeze. However, late cabbage collected in October can be stored at zero temperature in the basement or in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. In the process of harvesting broccoli, there is another nuance: do not rush to put the plants pulled out with the root into the compost pile at the end of the summer season, leave them on a month just to lie on the garden - use the ability of broccoli to tolerate small frosts. Even plants removed from the ground use their last chance and will tie small inflorescences, providing you with one more late harvest. We wish you success and great harvests!
Many domestic gardeners are looking at cabbage with some “suspicion”, which is not usually used to eat large leaves, but inflorescences, which have not reached full maturity. Not immediately decide whether to plant a similar vegetable on garden lands or not. Those who are closer acquainted with broccoli cabbage, quickly understand the simplicity of its cultivation and health benefits.
Description and useful properties
Broccoli (Asparagus) - An annual plant, a variety of garden cabbage, related to color. Ripens inflorescences. The maximum height is 80 cm. When the head part of the central stem is removed, broccoli more actively forms lateral shoots, which contributes to an increase in yield and growing period.
Main types of cabbage: classical (calabrian), red, stalk. There are more than 100 varieties around the world, about 20 are actively grown in Russia.
Useful properties of broccoli:
- Anti-sclerotic and anti-tumor effect.
- Strong natural antibiotic.
- Removes toxins of tobacco and alcohol.
- Improves heart function.
- Cleans the blood vessels.
- Removes salt deposits.
- Heals a stomach ulcer (juice).
Composition:
Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, PP.
Trace elements: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, iodine, iron, manganese.
As well as high-quality protein, fiber, folic acid and many other "benefits".
What land to choose for cultivation?
For cultivation in the greenhouse or the open field is equally important to successfully select a plot of land. To do this, follow certain rules:
- Planted in the sun (at least 6 hours a day) and ventilated place.
- A loose soil with a neutral or low alkalization value is desirable.
- As predecessors, the following are prohibited: cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, radish. In such soil, you can "return" in 4 seasons.
- Good to grow after potatoes, cereals, cucumbers.
- Acidity can be reduced by lime or chalk.
- Close there should not be other types of cabbage.
At one place to grow 1 season!
Seed selection
The basic factors influencing the choice of broccoli seeds are growing conditions and the desired timeline for harvesting.
Equally suitable for greenhouses and open ground varieties and hybrids: "Vitamin", "Caesar", "Continental", "Lucky F1", "Calabrese" and others.
Ripening periods allow dividing broccoli into 3 groups (with examples of varieties):
- Early maturing varieties. 70-90 days. Curly Head, Comanche.
- Mid-season . 90-100 days. "Gnome", "Green Favorite F1".
- Late cultivation varieties. More than 100 days. "Marathon F1".
One variety for different locations may be classified differently.
By type of factory processing:
- Ordinary - not processed.
- Instructed - different colors. Processed by polymers, which provide a protective shell and stimulate germination.
- Dramatized - “wrapped up” in a peat-mineral mixture. It gives protection, increases the size of the seed and "rounds" it. Economical, when growing almost do not thin.
What to look at the packaging of seeds:
- Information about the manufacturer.
- Quantity, collection time, type of processing.
- Link to GOST (for Russian) or original characteristics (for foreign).
Seed and seedling preparation
To reduce problems in growing and caring for broccoli in the garden, it is worth preparing seeds or seedlings in advance.
Cooking seeds
Prepared seeds germinate more actively, get sick less and give better yield. A mandatory pretreatment method is soaking. After any soaking, it is necessary to rinse and dry.
- “Pale” solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per liter), rinse thoroughly, put into stimulator solution for 8 hours. You can warm for 2 hours in slightly hot (50 degrees) water in a thermos, then in a weak potassium permanganate to keep another 30 minutes.
- The “Immunociphate” solution is not stronger than 1 tablet per 100 ml. 3-12 hours.
- Half a gram of boric acid per liter - for 8 hours.
- Day in the "batch" of wood ash - 100 ml 1 small spoon. You can make 1 dining room per liter of water, withstand stirring for two days and keep the seeds for only 5 hours.
- A solution of "Epin" - a couple of drops per 100 ml, 18 hours.
- Day in aloe juice.
- Warm up in water 50 degrees 20 minutes.
Drained and instructed seeds are “seated” dry in moist soil.
"Early" seeds for greenhouse seedlings are sown 45 days before planting, late and hybrids over 30. For planting in open ground - 35-40 days, choose "early" varieties.
We grow seedlings at home and in the greenhouse
houses
Planting is carried out in clean containers with well-watered and loosened soil, with drainage holes and pebbles laid out on the bottom. The approximate dimensions of the box: 50 x 30, height 25 cm. It is permissible to grow broccoli in pots.
The height of the layer of the earth is not less than 10 cm, the distance between the seedlings is 5 cm, it is 5 mm deep into the soil. The composition of the soil for cultivation is turf, humus, sand and ash. Neutral or alkaline, spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The optimum temperature for the "exit" sprouts - 16-25 degrees. But without the scorching sun. When they appear - the ambient temperature can be cooled to 8.
A couple of weeks before moving to the site begin hardening of cabbage seedlings, bringing a little in the sun.
in the greenhouse
The most successful way to grow broccoli seeds for seedlings is in a greenhouse. Produced from late April to early May. It takes 30-40 days and with the advent of 5-6 sheets, it becomes suitable for "moving" into the open ground. When the crop needs to be received later - broccoli can be sown "on the street" in the first days of May.
Preparing for planting soil
Before planting cabbage for cultivation "on the street", first prepare the soil, preferably in the fall. They dig up the earth, feed it with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. The presence of phosphorus and potassium in them is required. If necessary, lime, can be chalked or crushed into powder egg shells. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring.
It is possible to fertilize with fresh or rotted manure in the fall, and in the spring to bring only the mineral component - 40 gram of superphosphate and 10 ammonium nitrate per square meter. If it was not possible, right before planting the cabbage, pour a “mash” of dolomite flour, ash and compost into the ground.
Landing in open ground
seeds
Broccoli, like many crops available to grow in the garden immediately sowing seeds in open ground. Similar bushes will be healthier. They stand cold up to 7 degrees below zero. For safety, it is worth “wrapping up” seedlings with nonwoven material and film. Shoot broccoli until strengthening keep under the material, protecting from cruciferous flea.
Before planting, the cabbage seed must undergo the same treatment that is carried out when planting a seedling at home.
Broccoli seeds are “planted” in May or early June. They do it in deep holes with dimensions of 50 by 50 cm or a little less, “sunk” into the soil by 1.5 cm, and are well spilled. The first shoots rise in 7 days. Choose the best copies. In this “scenario,” cabbage has ripened by August and September. By this time, the mass departure of the cruciferous flea has already passed and the shoots of broccoli can be grown quietly until October.
seedlings
Sprouts are planted from the first quarter of May to the twentieth of June. There should be no sunny weather. Standard planting pattern: 50 cm between rows and 35 between plants. Planting cabbage is required almost in the "flooded" ridge.
Peculiarities of care
To understand how to grow broccoli suitable for eating, it is important to remember the “golden rules” of care:
- In the dry heat often sprayed with water.
- Keep the air humidity 80 percent, the soil is 10 less.
- In the heat, water broccoli twice a day, usually - at least 1 time in 2 days, be sure to immediately loosen.
- The depth of the wet layer must be maintained at least 15 cm.
- The optimum temperature for growing in a greenhouse is 20 degrees.
- Ripening heads of cabbage pritenyat, so as not crushed and not “disheveled”.
- Be sure to mulch.
- When growing exclude the neighborhood of the crucifers.
Fertilization
- After about 14 days from planting, when the seedlings in the soil start to grow . Mixture: on a bucket of water 1 small spoon of urea and about a glass of mullein. If sowed seeds - in 3 weeks.
- 21 days after the first: full matchbox saltpeter on a bucket of water. Or: after 2 weeks - nitroammofoskoy.
- When broccoli florets begin to form: on a bucket of water 40 g of superphosphate, half the amount of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of potassium sulfate.
- After cutting off the central inflorescence to stimulate the growth of lateral stems : per 10 liters of water 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 - superphosphate and 30 - potassium sulfate.
Broccoli likes slurry. Dilute it in 4 parts of water. Use as root dressing. Well sprinkle with ashes.
Diseases and pests
This type of cabbage is less susceptible to diseases and plagues pests than others. But to make sure that at your dacha you grow broccoli cabbage as it should, it is wise to know its main “enemies” and to be able to “work ahead of the curve.”
- Cabbage aphid drive away dill, planted interspersed with cabbage.
- Caterpillars are poisoned with a solution of tomato tops. Recipe: 1 kg of fresh tomato leaves boil for half an hour in 3 liters of water. Cool, strain, add water to a bucket, sprinkle cabbage in dry weather without wind. Do not like flowers marigolds.
- The broth of bitter pepper acts on slugs, aphids and caterpillars “well”. Crush 4 pods for 1 liter of water, boil for an hour and insist for 24 hours. In a bucket add water to the top, spray. To carry out in gloves and a mask when on the street is dry and not blowing. From slugs - finely crumble the egg shells next to the cabbage.
- From the cruciferous flea (main pest) to cover the young leaves of broccoli with thin material, before the formation of inflorescences sprayed with "Iskra". Next - sprinkle or spray cabbage with a mixture of wood ash (or garlic) and tobacco dust.
Harvest
For maximum health benefits, it is important not only to know how to grow broccoli properly, but also to harvest in time.
Collect heads only in green, without waiting for the buds to open and the appearance of small yellow flowers.
General rules for collecting
- The central stem does not grow above 10 cm.
- Cut off inflorescences with the escape.
- Cut broccoli in the morning.
- Young leaves of cabbage and strong juicy stems can be added to food.
- Do not rush to destroy the last broccoli bushes before winter. If you pull it out, but leave it for another month to lie in the garden, they will present several more inflorescences as a “farewell gift”.
Early broccoli harvests are kept cool for no longer than 2 weeks. It is better to eat or freeze them immediately. October harvests can lie for 2 months at 0 degrees. To properly freeze the broccoli, first place it in the water, then decompose into packets and freeze. With this method will preserve a maximum of vitamins. Broccoli can be added to dishes fresh, pickled and pickled.
Knowing how cabbage grows, the rules for its collection and storage, every lover of healthy greens will be able to grow this unpretentious dietary vegetable in its plot. Once you have planted broccoli, it is no longer possible to imagine your “dacha property” without these beautiful “curly green heads”.
If you are thinking about what you would plant useful and tasty in your garden, then be sure to think about broccoli. This is a great dietary product, which, moreover, is simply a real source of useful vitamins and trace elements. Broccoli is a type of cauliflower, but many people note its much greater taste value than cauliflower. Broccoli cabbage can be easily purchased fresh or frozen in a store or on the market. But only by growing it yourself in your garden, you will be completely confident in its exceptional "non-chemical" composition. To the delight of novice gardeners, this type of cabbage is absolutely unpretentious, and if you observe all the elementary agrotechnical actions, you will be able to harvest up to two harvests in the summer season. Broccoli cabbage is advised to eat as often as possible to absolutely all categories of people: children, adults and the elderly. If your usual menu for the week still does not include broccoli, and you have a small garden plot, be sure to try to grow this most valuable food product. In this article we will look at all types and varieties of broccoli cabbage, how it is planted, how to take care of it, tell you about the methods and time of harvesting, and much more.
Few people know that such a nondescript and, at first glance, poor in composition, broccoli, is a real source of valuable vitamins and minerals. The homeland of this vegetable is the Mediterranean, where broccoli was grown more than two thousand years ago and called “Italian asparagus”. Broccoli owes widespread worldwide and its “fame” to Americans, who have begun to actively grow and export it to other countries. Broccoli differs from cauliflower not only in taste, but also in composition, shape of heads, density and color. However, it has long been studied that broccoli is significantly ahead of cauliflower in composition and beneficial properties. So, what is so valuable and important is contained in broccoli cabbage, for what it is worth growing on your site?
This is not a complete list of all the useful components of broccoli cabbage. Of course, for the maximum percentage of their content, it is necessary not only to eat broccoli properly, but also to grow it properly. Photo of broccoli cabbage
What are the varieties of broccoliBroccoli cabbage, which began its history in ancient Rome, is currently represented by 2 main types:
Kolabreze has the most often recognizable appearance - a head of dense inflorescences that grows on a rather thick stalk. Asparagus broccoli grows thin stems with small heads. The food is used just as these stems, which taste like asparagus. It is this feature that gave the name to this species. If we talk about varieties of broccoli, there are currently more than 200. In each country, depending on climatic conditions and taste preferences, one or other varieties are widely distributed. In Russia, about 5 varieties of broccoli and several hybrid varieties have been entered in the state register. If you hesitate and do not know which variety to choose for planting, then consider that broccoli can be early ripe, mid-ripe and late-ripe. And, of course, each variety individually has its own characteristics. Here are the most popular varieties of broccoli:  Of course, this is not a complete list of all varieties of broccoli. Breeders have achieved great success in breeding new hybrid varieties, which are distinguished by high yields and good ability to withstand adverse conditions and diseases. How to grow broccoli in your gardenBroccoli cabbage can be grown by seeds immediately in open ground, and you can, if you want to get an early harvest, in a seedling manner. If you have a greenhouse, this makes it even easier for you. You do not have to mess around with boxes for seedlings at home for a long time, but plant cabbage initially in greenhouse conditions, and then transfer it to a permanent place of growth in open ground. If you want to harvest the late harvest, then boldly sow the seeds immediately in open ground at the end of May. Growing seedlings does not involve any complex or special actions. All agrotechnical operations are the same as when growing any other seedlings. In this article we’ll dwell on the cultivation of broccoli in the open field.
How to prepare the soilBroccoli cabbage, although an unpretentious plant, however, it has some requirements for the place of its growth:
Some gardeners believe that preparing the soil for planting broccoli should be in the fall. For this, they well fertilize the soil with potash and phosphate fertilizers. This may be potassium nitrate, manure or superphosphate. If the soil in your area is acidic, then it is desirable to carry out a liming. For this, the shell from chicken eggs. But, if you did not fertilize the soil in this way in the fall, you can fully compensate for the lack of nutrients and trace elements in the soil just before planting.
How to prepare seedsIf you have already chosen a future bed for sowing broccoli and fertilized the soil, then it's time to start preparing the seeds. Your actions should be as follows:
How to sow seeds
Care for broccoli in the open fieldWatering and caring for broccoliAs soon as shoots appeared and rooted well, your actions to take care of broccoli will not represent anything new in the care of the plant.  Top dressing broccoliIf your neighbor always has good and large broccoli heads, and you cannot boast with it, then think about the correctness of your broccoli feeding scheme. No matter how fertile and fertilized the soil is before planting, in the course of further growth, broccoli still requires feeding. So, you will definitely get a good and rich harvest, and perhaps not one over the summer. So, how do you need to feed broccoli and, most importantly, what?
HarvestIt seems that can be difficult and incomprehensible in the harvest of broccoli? But not everything is so simple. It is very important not to miss the moment of head ripening and not to allow it to bloom. If small yellow flowers appeared on the head of cabbage, it means that the cabbage has ripened and is not suitable for processing.
Ripe cabbage should be green. It should be cut along with the central stem on which it grows. This stem has good taste and is also suitable for human consumption. Harvesting is best in the morning. If you have ripe ripe broccoli, then do not expect that it will be stored for a long time. It is better to eat such varieties immediately or to freeze them. But late-ripening varieties are quite suitable for storage. You can store broccoli in a refrigerator or basement with a zero temperature for 2-3 months.Do not rush to throw broccoli after harvesting the main crop. Even plants pulled out of the ground can tie a few more heads, thereby giving you a second crop. If the cabbage is not ripe, but frost has already arrived, then simply transplant it into the greenhouse.
How to harvest broccoli seedsSeeds can not be harvested from any broccoli cabbage, but only from the one that was planted in the last days of April or early May. To do this, just leave one plant and do not cut off the head with it when it matures. Leave it and take care of the cabbage further: water it, tie it up if necessary. Around the end of September, when the seeds turn black, cut off the testes. Seeds need to be dried thoroughly in a cool and well-ventilated area.
Dangerous pests: how to recognize and how to deal with themBroccoli, like any other plant, can be attacked by various pests. Some of them are very dangerous and can completely destroy the plant, not giving you a harvest, others are not so dangerous, but can still cause significant damage to the crop.
Cruciferous flea - one of the most dangerous pests for broccoli At present, there is simply a huge amount of various pesticides to combat virtually any pest. With their proper and timely use, the plant will not only get rid of pests, but will also remain harmless to humans. But, as you know, any prevention is better than any treatment. Constantly inspect your plantings in the garden. The sooner the treatment is started, the more chances you have to save the plant. Among the most famous and dangerous pests of broccoli cabbage are the following insects:
If you are in doubt about choosing a means to combat some kind of pest, then you should better consult specialists, consultants in specialized stores. Picking up the wrong means of struggle you not only do not get rid of the pest and do not solve the problem, but you can make eating such cabbage dangerous to human health. Observing all the above recommendations for planting and caring for broccoli, you are sure to get a fabulous harvest of one of the most useful and valuable vegetables for human health. Please yourself and your loved ones with the opportunity to eat fresh vegetables from your garden! |
Broccoli Care
It is possible to grow broccoli in the open ground either through seedlings — for obtaining an earlier crop — or by sowing seeds directly into the ground — this method is suitable for obtaining subsequent harvests.
Dates of sowing broccoli seeds: May - early June. The largest seeds are selected, heated and soaked in the same way as described above. The bed is watered abundantly, and after a few hours, seeds are sown to a depth of 1.5 cm. In a week, the first shoots will appear.
Broccoli Care consists in regular watering, weeding, loosening, hilling and protection from pests.
Broccoli growing technology is generally similar to cauliflower growing technology: broccoli, like cauliflower, loves moisture, but does not tolerate excessive dampness, requires fertilization and requires timely cutting of the head, preventing its flowering, etc. But, unlike color, the head can not be covered from the sun.
The broccoli growing technology is generally similar to the technology - broccoli, like cauliflower, loves moisture, but does not tolerate excessive dampness, responds to fertilizer application and requires timely cutting of the head, preventing its flowering, etc. But, unlike color, the head can not be covered from the sun.
In general, broccoli is unpretentious - if you comply with all the requirements and follow the agrotechnology, any gardener can grow this crop.
Watering
Cabbage is very sensitive to moisture: with a lack of water, the heads grow small with a specific taste. Broccoli is watered in the morning or in the evening: leaves can be damaged in the heat of the day. As broccoli grows, the number of waterings per week increases. It does not tolerate drying out, cracking the soil. During dry weather, it requires daily watering. But even more useful for broccoli is humidifying the air. To do this, near the beds you can put a wide and low water containers. You can also spray cabbage from a spray bottle.
Soil loosening
After each watering (1 time per week), the soil is loosened to a depth of 8 cm. 20 days after planting, the cabbage is spud, repeating hilling after another 10 days. Constant temperature and soil moisture will help maintain mulching.
Feedings
Broccoli responds well to top dressing:
The first dressing is carried out in 5-7 days after planting (2 tablespoons of urea per 10 liters of water - dressing for 10-15 plants).
The second feeding in two weeks (liquid slurry diluted with water 1: 4, watered at the root).
The third feeding at the beginning of the formation of inflorescences (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water - use on 5-10 plants).
The fourth dressing after cutting the central head.
Plants can also be fed infusion of weeds, compost or chicken manure, alternating feeding organic matter and mineral water. As a top dressing and means of protection against pests, plants and soil in the garden can be powdered with wood ash (1 cup per 1 m2).
Protection against diseases and pests
Broccoli is more resistant to pests or diseases than other types of cabbage, compliance with agricultural technology is already a preventive measure against diseases. And celery, dill, peppermint and tagges in joint plantings with broccoli may well protect it from many pests.
To combat the caterpillars, you can spray plants with decoction of tomato tops (1 kg of leaves per 3 liters of water), or treat with infusion of garlic, tobacco, ash, or you can simply sprinkle with ashes. The covering materials reliably protect young plants from pests.
From the cruciferous flea, if necessary, gardeners use chemical preparations, such as, for example, Iskra. Attention! You can not use them later than 20 days before tying inflorescences.
Harvesting
Broccoli cabbage yields a great harvest three to three and a half months after sowing the seeds. When large heads grow on the plant (10-17 cm in diameter), they are cut at the base. This contributes to the rapid growth of lateral shoots and the formation of new, smaller, heads, prolonging the period of fruiting - during the summer you can harvest three times from one plant (200-500g). Harvesting is carried out early in the morning, while inflorescences juicy.
For beginner gardeners, it is difficult to determine the exact time of harvest: waiting for the head to grow larger, they often miss the moment of cutting.
Broccoli cabbage should be cleaned without waiting for it to ripen. The head is cut off when it stops growing, but still maintains its density and has an intense green color.
The moment of collection can be determined by the looseness of the inflorescences: when they become loose from dense, it means that the flowers will bloom the next day.
Yellowed, covered with flowers or collapsed kochanchiki not suitable for use.
It is better to cut the cabbage before you lose a crop: there are more vitamins in thick broccoli, and to make it softer, you can just boil it a little longer.
After full harvest, the broccoli bush should be pulled out of the ground and disposed of, it is not recommended to leave the stalks for the winter in order to avoid contamination of the site with diseases.
Broccoli Crop Storage
The early harvest can be stored for 5-7 days in the refrigerator or, and the autumn harvest is suitable for long-term storage in the cellar.
Growing broccoli in the open field and care for planting broccoli, as a rule, does not cause difficulties for gardeners, and useful properties so much from this cabbage that when you learn about them, this culture will become one of the main ones in your garden.
In contact with
Broccoli is a sought-after crop that is in great demand among nutritionists. They very often prescribe a vegetable to their patients with atherosclerosis, kidney disease, and malignant tumors. The composition of the cabbage is rich in many vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
When used, it is possible to clear the body of heavy metals and slags. But not every housewife is willing to spend money on the constant purchase of broccoli. In this case, you need to select a plot in your garden and just plant this culture. But how to do this, consider next.
For those that are not engaged in the preparation of the site in the fall, you can not worry. All nutrient deficiencies can be repaired with fertilizers.
Special features
The presented plant can withstand negative temperatures. For him, not even scary frost. If the cultivation will take place in the middle lane, then the process of planting can take place in open soil, in the garden. Nechernozemie areas should plant in the greenhouse. You need to do in March. Already on the 3rd and 4th day shoots should appear. And after 3-4 appear the first leaves.
If planting immediately occurs from seedlings, then it is advisable to do so at the end of April. The temperature regime in the greenhouse should not be above 18 degrees during the day, and at night - 12 degrees. Planting can occur plants that are already 35-40 days old and they have 5-6 leaves.
When planting seedlings in the greenhouse, the important point is the correct preparation of the site allotted for planting. In the fall, the soil is worth digging, chalking and fertilizing. For fertilizer, you can use the recipe, according to which the following components are mixed:
- 30 g of superphosphate;
- 5 kg of manure;
- 20 g of potassium salt;
- 25 g of ammonium nitrate.
The prepared solution will be enough for fertilizing 1 m2. In the spring, the fertilizer process can occur more efficiently. Here superphosphate, humus, ammonium nitrate and garden mixture are suitable. 
Caring for broccoli growing in a greenhouse involves loosening, weeding, hilling and watering. It is necessary to irrigate the earth to a depth of 40 cm. Even before the flowers bloom, it is necessary to remove the central heads.
Then they will not become friable and tasteless. During the cutting of the head with a diameter of 10-20 cm you need to capture and 10 cm of the stem. After 2-3 weeks, the offspring of a slightly smaller size will occur.
Broccoli is one of the most beloved vegetables. On its basis it is possible to get tasty and healthy dishes. This mistress must allocate space in her garden in order to plant this plant. In addition, a special mess with the care and growing does not occur. All that this crop requires is regular watering, fertilizer and hilling.
