Growing broccoli

• Broccoli prefers full sun, but can take some shade and still do well, preferring a soil temperature of 55 to 75 deg. F.

• Space individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart.

• When planting, add some general purpose fertilizer to the soil.

• Many varieties of broccoli that I offer are heat tolerant, but would appreciate protection such as shade cloth during times of extreme heat. Keeping soil evenly moist will also help.

• All above ground parts of broccoli are edible at many stages. Harvesting heads that form before they bloom will encourage side shoots. The earlier you harvest that central head, the more side shoot sprouts you will get!

  PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
  You can do one of the following:
  1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
  -OR (as I do)-
  2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

2026

(Descriptions and photos are from the seed company websites unless otherwise noted.)

Broccoli, Blue Star Gai Lan

Brassica oleracea. 45-60 days.

Our favorite variety of Chinese broccoli chosen from trials that included eight contestants. We like Blue Star’s moderately thick stems, incredible flavor, and easy-to-grow nature. Small plants send up stems up to 1″ thick, with small broccoli-like clusters on top. Due to the small stature, Gai Lan should be grown at tighter spacing than standard broccoli varieties. We recommend 4-6″ spacing in row. There are many tropically adapted varieties of Chinese broccoli and, unlike those, Blue Star was very happy in our temperate northern climate. The flavor is robust, somewhere between broccoli and collard greens. An essential and loved vegetable in many culinary traditions, Gai Lan deserves a spot in every garden. In Thailand, where it is known as kana, we have seen it served in pad see ew street noodles and stir fry. Also commonly found in Chinese, Vietnamese and Burmese cuisine. Gai Lan is also known as Chinese kale. Seed produced by Empowered Flowers in Oregon City, Oregon. (Adaptive Seeds)

Broccoli, Piracicaba

Brassica oleracea. 55 days.

A heat-tolerant, small heading broccoli similar to broccolini. Where it really shines is not in its initial small head, but in the endless tasty side shoot production. The leaves are as delicious as the tender green heads and sweet stems. Unique to the world of broccoli varieties, Piracicaba’s small shoots and loose florets make it seem like it could be the primordial ancestor of modern supermarket hybrid broccoli. Though originally from subtropical Brazil, we have found that it thrives in our temperate environment and tolerates some frost. Vegetable farmer Carolina Lees of Corvus Landing Farm located on the coast of Oregon, says that Piracicaba is one of her favorite crops for her cool summers, and her farmer’s market customers love it, too. Originally bred by the University of Piracicaba in Brazil. (Adaptive Seeds)

Artwork

55 days. All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2015

This award-winning variety begins as an ordinary crown broccoli the big "headed" type we all grew up eating but once you cut or pinch off the central crown, long side-shoots begin to arise, packed with succulent flavor. Cut them at anywhere from 6 to 8 inches long and new ones will spring up to replace them. Before you know it, you've harvested up to 20 gourmet "sweet stem" broccoli shoots, and Artwork is the last broccoli in the garden still producing.

The secret to getting the most out of Artwork is to get rid of that central crown quickly. Cut it for eating when it's just an inch or so in diameter, or pinch it away even sooner if you don't need to harvest it. As soon as you do, the side-shoots begin to take off. Expect the first ones to be ready for harvest about 10 days after you've removed the central crown. Cut them promptly, and get ready to watch their replacements appear.

Many broccoli are better suited to crowning than to side shoot production because they tend to bolt (begin flowering) in hot weather and hot weather is exactly what most of us have all summer long in the garden. Artwork, on the other hand, is very bolt-resistant, keeping its tight beads even when the temperature climbs. This gives you many more weeks of production . . . and means that new side-shoots can arise even in late summer, when other sweet stem broccoli varieties are done.

Artwork reaches about 8 inches wide and can top out at close to 2 feet, depending on how tall you let it grow. It has a tender texture right to the base of the stem, and richly flavored beads that top the stems. Expect 10 to 20 side-shoots from every plant, plus the central crown. That's a lot of gourmet deliciousness from a single plant. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. F1 hybrid variety. (Park Seed)

Below are varieties offered in 2025. Some may also be available this year. I’m still working on updating the site.

Broccoli ‘Gemini’

50 days. A stellar broccoli in our trial fields, Gemini produces tight, light-green beads on deeply domed, 6 inch heads. Compact plants are early, adaptable and offer options for spring and late summer plantings. A great option for small gardens. F1 hybrid variety. (Territorial Seed)

Broccoli ‘Purple Magic’

New! Purple heads and stems.

The well-domed heads are a beautiful deep purple overlaid on a dark green background with vibrant, bright violet stems. Suitable for bunching or crowns. Purple Magic has performed very well in cool-weather conditions in coastal regions in California and for fall crops in northern regions of the US. Darker purple and more attractive than other commercial purple types that we have trialed. 2024 AAS Winner. F1 hybrid variety. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)