Brassica oleraceae - Botrytis group

Broccoli

Edible herb grown as an annual. Low growing with short stout stem. Thick lower leaves, rounded or obovate. Upper leaves narrow and long. Inflourescence of white-yellow flowers in terminal racemes.

Uses

Harvest flower heads 9-11 weeks after planting. Cropping can continue for up to 3 months. Pick heads before flowers develop, cutting well down the stem. Vegetable. Can be frozen, eaten fresh, boiled or steamed. http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/broccoli.html

Culture

Plant seed in late spring and seedlings in late summer. Requires a well drained soil high in organic matter. Prefers a fertile soil high in nitrogen and phosphorous during the early stages of growth. Iron and boron are also important. Prefers a sunny position and a soil pH of 7.0 Can suffer from damping off in wet soils. Can also suffer from downey mildew and alternaria. Protect from grubs that attack the flower heads, cabbage white butterfly, snails, slugs, aphis, maggots and cutworms. http://osu.orst.edu/Dept/NWREC/broc-pr.html http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/sustainable/peet/profiles/c09cole.html

Propagation

Seed in autumn after summer heat.

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