Broccoli contains more carotene, ascorbic and nicotinic acids, vitamins and microelements than cauliflower. White cabbage also contains fewer nutrients. Broccoli contains components that prevent the occurrence of cancer. It is useful to eat it fresh or slightly boiled.
Broccoli is not afraid of spring frosts, it is almost never attacked by parasites, and cabbage produces high yields. After cutting the main head of cabbage, small heads of cabbage the size of a chicken egg appear every week.
There are 2 types of broccoli: calabrese (forms a strong head on a powerful stem), asparagus broccoli - they eat stems that taste similar to asparagus.
Early varieties
Emperor F1 - 75 - 80 days pass from the growth of the first shoots to harvest.
Comanche - the heads are cut off 3 months after planting the seeds. The bushes tolerate low and high temperatures well.
Laser F1 - broccoli heads, dense and emerald green, are removed after 75 days.
Samme King is a variety that can easily withstand heat. They reap a high yield, regardless of planting time.
Tone - from the appearance of sprouts to the growth of heads, 75 - 90 days pass. The harvest ripens together. The head of cabbage is dark green, medium density, weight 0.15 - 0.25 kg, has an excellent taste. If the weather is too cool or hot, it may have a brownish-brown color.
Mid-season varieties
Arcadia F1 is a hybrid of medium ripening, produces a large harvest, the growing season is 110 days. The culture is strong and high. The head is large, phthalocyanine green, weighing up to 400 g. Cabbage can be eaten fresh or processed.
Genoa - perfect for dense planting.
Greenbelt - growing season 105 days. The heads of cabbage are medium-sized, excellent quality, with medium-sized flowers.
Calabrese - 90 days pass from the first sprouts to technical ripeness. The heads are average in density. The weight of the central head of cabbage is up to 400 g, after which 6 - 7 heads grow on the side weighing up to 100 g.
Konpakta - 100 days pass from sowing the seeds to harvesting the heads of cabbage. The crop grows very compactly and can be planted in heaps. The head is dome-shaped, large, with small flower buds.
Monton F1 - has an average ripening period and a raised rosette of foliage.The heads are large, weighing up to 800 g, greenish-gray, medium density, good taste.
Senshi - growing season 110 days. The head of cabbage is large, dome-shaped, with medium-sized flower buds; the cabbage lies for a long time after harvesting.
Fortuna - the variety has an average ripening period and a raised rosette of foliage. The head of cabbage is greenish-gray, medium density, weight up to 150 g, good taste.
Caesar - has large, hard, greenish-purple heads.
Late varieties
Varnishes F1 - has a late ripening period. The heads are large, strong, their weight is 300 - 500 g.
Marathon F1 - has a raised rosette of foliage. The head of cabbage is large, weighing up to 700 g, green, strong, but with a delicate texture, and tastes good.
How to choose the right site and prepare seeds
How to plant broccoli so that the heads start to form?
Plant broccoli in the area where mustard, carrots, beans, potatoes, phacelia, oats, onions, lupines, beans, peas, wheat, and cucumbers previously grew. You should not plant in the same bed where cabbage, tomatoes, beets, radishes, turnips, and radishes grew.
Dry seeds are poured into water at a temperature of +50 ° C for a quarter of an hour, then washed in water. Place on a damp cotton cloth and refrigerate for 24 hours. Then the seeds are dried and sown.
Sowing seeds
How to sow seeds correctly so that when transplanted into the ground, cabbage heads immediately begin to set?
The substrate is made by mixing equal parts of turf, peat soil and sand. After sowing, water the plantings with a spray bottle. Place in a warm place with an air temperature of +20 °C. When the first shoots appear, set the air temperature to +10 °C for 7 days. Then increase the temperature to +14 - 16 °C, at night - +9 °C.If the room is too warm, above +20 °C, this will contribute to the accelerated formation of the head.
Excessive watering will provoke a disease called “black leg”, and a lack of moisture and light will lead to the growth of dwarf heads.
2 weeks after sowing, the seedlings are planted. After this, the air temperature should be +21 °C, and then it is reduced to +17 °C during the day and +9 °C at night.
2 weeks before transplanting to a summer cottage, the seedlings are hardened by taking them out onto the balcony: first for a quarter of an hour, then for a longer time.
Planting seedlings on the site
The seedlings are transplanted to the site when 5–6 true leaves have grown, at the age of 35–45 days. This is done several times from May 1 until the end of June, then it will be possible to harvest cabbage from July 15 until almost frost.
You can sow seeds on your summer cottage in early May. When planting seeds, dig holes, pour ash, pour out water and sprinkle seeds. Dusting with ash protects against insect attacks.
Care
Broccoli prefers well-moistened soil that has neutral characteristics - this can be achieved by mulching the soil. It is recommended to plant broccoli together with beets, dill, peas, cucumbers, carrots, celery, spinach, tomatoes, and marigolds. It is not recommended to plant broccoli together with watercress and onions.
Why does broccoli fade? To prevent the cabbage from blooming, monitor the weight of the head, look at the inscription on the bag of seeds: if the recommended weight of the head is 0.4 kg, then do not expect a large head, cut it off when it weighs 0.35 kg, then the cabbage will not bloom. Cut the head of cabbage with a knife, do not touch the side foliage. Fertilize the crop, and after a while side shoots will grow.
Why are the heads not forming? If the heads do not set, then you need to remember that they grow at air temperatures up to +18 ° C. That is, late ripening broccoli varieties you need to sow so that the heads form when the air temperature is not too high. In September, with fairly cool nights, the head of cabbage develops more slowly, but as a result grows larger.
Remember that cabbage loves water, and drought will have a bad effect on the development of the head. The crop is especially demanding when it comes to watering when a rosette of foliage forms and a head of cabbage forms.
What to do if the broccoli head does not set? Heads of cabbage may not set due to fertilizing done late or too abundantly. If you feed the plant too intensively, the heads will not set.
Why does broccoli have no ovary? The reason why broccoli does not set a head is a lack of moisture. Another reason is lack of fertilizer. If the cabbage lacks something, then the culture “decides” that there is no point in forming heads of cabbage, and the cabbage will go into color.
The last reason is too hot. Cabbage does not like heat, so when purchasing seeds, read on the packaging whether it is recommended to plant this variety in a particular area. In the South, broccoli is planted in the fall and harvested in the spring.
Broccoli is fed three times: 14 days after planting the seedlings, then after another 2 weeks and when heads form. Better for fertilizers apply vermicompost solution and herbal tea.
What can be done to make knotted heads grow well? Mulch the plantings with peat and dust the peat with ash. In order for the heads to be dense, it is necessary that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. That is, when tying a head of cabbage, break a rosette of leaves or tie the leaves above the head.
Remember that it is better to plant broccoli seedlings in the garden later, and in the greenhouse in April or May.
