How to grow broccoli outdoors in the Urals?

Many summer residents fell in love with asparagus cabbage: its inflorescences have an interesting delicate taste and rich chemical composition, and the low calorie content allows them to be included in the diet without fear of harming the figure. The list of advantages of the culture is headed by its unpretentiousness - growing broccoli in the open field will require minimal labor costs. Its inflorescences ripen quickly. It will be possible to enjoy them when 2 months have passed from the moment the seedlings are placed on the beds. But you should not rush to harvest cabbage bushes from the garden. If, having received the main harvest, you continue to care for broccoli, until the end of the season, numerous new formations will appear on it - small but edible and useful heads.

Preparation of planting material

Sowing seeds of asparagus cabbage can be carried out directly to the beds. But more often it is grown through seedlings. Although this method is more labor intensive, its important advantage is that valuable crops can be harvested faster. You can get viable seedlings in a greenhouse or at home by placing containers with sown broccoli on the windowsill, insulated balcony or loggia.

In order for the seedlings to be friendly and healthy, pre-planting seed preparation is carried out.

1. First, they are placed in water heated to 50 ° C. It may be clean, but it is better to dissolve a little potassium permanganate in it, which will help disinfect the seeds.
2. After 15-20 minutes, they are taken out and immediately placed in a container with cold water, where they are kept for 1 minute.
3. Further, broccoli seeds are treated with special biological preparations - growth stimulants and fungicides. The planting material should lie in the solution prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions for at least 12 hours.
4. Then it is placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
5. To make planting the seeds easier, they need to be dried. Then they will be well separated from the fingers.

The next stage is soil preparation. Ordinary garden soil is suitable for broccoli, but it is better to add wood ash to it (1-1.5 cups of fertilizer are stirred in 1 bucket of soil). It will provide the seedlings with the nutrients they need and help reduce soil acidity. Professionals advise using a substrate of components mixed in equal amounts for planting broccoli seeds:

• garden land;
• humus;
• peat;
• sand.

The main condition for plant health is loose soil and good drainage. With stagnant moisture, the planting can be destroyed by a black leg.

Getting seedlings

Sowing seeds of asparagus cabbage is carried out in a substrate disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate at the end of March or in early April.At home, it is recommended to plant them in separate containers. This will protect the broccoli root system from damage when the plants are moved outdoors. In addition, in individual pots, seedlings are more powerful and develop better, because they do not have to fight with neighbors for light and nutrients. It will be easier to care for them: there is no need for thinning and picking seedlings. If a common container is used, then 5 cm is left between the seeds in a row.

Advice

You can plant broccoli seeds that have already hatched into the ground. Use a paper towel or cloth to germinate them. Having well moistened the material with water, sprinkle seeds over it, and then cover it with a plastic bag. It will take 2-3 days, and they can be planted in a pot.

In order for broccoli seeds to germinate, the room temperature is kept between 18-20 ° C. When the seedlings hatch, it is reduced to 8-10 ° C. The seedlings need coolness only in the first week of their development; in the future, the optimum temperature for them is 15-20 ° C. They do not need special care. It is enough to put containers with broccoli seedlings in a bright place and water abundantly, preventing the soil from drying out and waterlogging. At the age of 30–38 days, young asparagus cabbage can be placed in the beds. By this time, she produces 4-5 full leaves.

Broccoli is a cold-resistant crop, its bushes can withstand up to -7 ° C. Therefore, you can plant its seeds immediately in the garden, providing them with greenhouse conditions by covering the beds with film or special material. They will help and protect young asparagus from insect pests. If you sow broccoli seeds in the first decade of April, then by mid-May the seedlings will be sufficiently developed to be placed on a permanent site. In this way, hardened seedlings adapted to outdoor conditions with a higher survival rate are obtained. The shelter is removed from the beds when the seedlings get stronger.

Another way of growing crops is practiced in the Urals - to plant broccoli seeds directly in open ground. This can be done from May to June. Shallow holes are dug at the site with an interval of 50 cm. Several seeds are placed in each, covered with a layer of soil and watered abundantly. When the seedlings hatch, they leave the strongest sprout. The first harvest of broccoli will bring in late summer or early fall, and additional mini-inflorescences can be harvested from it until October.

Landing in the ground

Broccoli is afraid of the bright sun, it is better to plant it in slightly shaded places. It will bring a bountiful harvest on fertile, humus-rich, non-acidic soils with a light porous structure. If the pH is not high enough (from 3 to 6), liming of the soil is carried out. Eggshell powder, chalk or lime will help neutralize acidity. Correct broccoli farming involves maintaining crop rotation. Do not place it in areas where cruciferous vegetables were planted last season. But it will develop well in the soil after potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, and various legumes.

The area where you plan to plant broccoli is best prepared in the fall. It is dug up, applying fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. Both organic and mineral compositions are suitable for culture: manure, humus, superphosphate, potassium nitrate. It is not critical if it is not possible to carry out the autumn preparation of the beds. Top dressing will provide broccoli with the nutrients it needs.

You need to plant asparagus cabbage in deep holes. The soil in them should be well moistened - by 30 cm. Between adjacent holes, leave 30-40 cm of free space. The row spacing should be wide - not less than 45-60 cm. If the soil has not been enriched with fertilizers in advance, ash and humus or compost (1 handful) are thrown into each hole.

Then a seedling extracted from a pot or from a greenhouse, along with an earthen lump, is placed in it. Trying not to bare its roots, they are carefully straightened. Broccoli requires planting at a medium depth - the stem of the plant is immersed in the soil until the first leaves. It is recommended to carry out the procedure in cloudy weather and in the afternoon. Finish it with watering. To facilitate the care of the plantings, the soil under the plants is mulched. A layer of fine straw, dry grass, or wood shavings will help trap moisture, keep plantings from overheating, and stop weeds from growing.

Advice

Broccoli seedlings with a developed root system, consisting of many thin shoots, take root better and are less sick. In height, they should reach 15-20 cm.

After landing

So that the planting of broccoli does not end with the death of young plants, they must be protected from the scorching sunlight. Shelter can be made from old buckets or spruce branches. Artificial shading is left for 7-10 days until the seedlings take root. Caring for asparagus cabbage is simple. Her agricultural technology consists in procedures familiar to all summer residents. The plantings are regularly looked after:

• watered;
• feed;
• weed;
• spud;
• loosen.

The secrets of the high yield of broccoli have been revealed for a long time. Frequent watering and fertilization guarantee success in growing crops. It is better to moisturize plantings in the evening hours. At the stage of formation and development of inflorescences, the procedure is carried out every other day. If the summer is hot and dry, the broccoli bushes are watered daily - in the early morning and evening, when the heat subsides. The rest of the time, one hydration per week is sufficient. Watering the asparagus cabbage needs abundant watering, the soil should be at least 15 cm wet.

Broccoli will need a lot of nutrients for vigorous growth and abundant fruiting. It is advisable to use organic compounds for feeding: infused mullein, chicken droppings. Additional nutrition is provided for asparagus every 14 days. Such care begins from the moment her bushes take root in a new place and take on growth. When inflorescences begin to form, they switch to mineral fertilizers. Three components are stirred in 10 liters of water:

• superphosphate (40 g);
• ammonium nitrate (20 g);
• potassium sulfate (10 g).

The resulting composition is watered plantings under the root. Then the care in the form of dressings is suspended. It is renewed after the main inflorescence is cut from the cabbage. The same mineral preparations are used for fertilization, but in a different proportion. During this period, plants need 3 times more potassium and 2 times less phosphorus and nitrogen. If you continue feeding, the side shoots of the asparagus cabbage will begin to grow actively and it will be possible to harvest an additional crop from it.

Advice

After each watering and fertilization, the soil under the broccoli bushes must be thoroughly loosened.

Harvesting rules

Cut off the asparagus inflorescences when they are green. It is important to closely monitor their condition, as the head quickly overripe, in just 2-3 days. If you miss the moment, it will cover with small buds, which will then turn into yellow flowers. You can no longer eat such a vegetable. First, the main stem of the broccoli is cut. By the time of maturity, its length should reach 10 cm.After its removal, an additional crop can be harvested, formed on the lateral shoots. Not only the broccoli inflorescences themselves are edible, but also the upper part of the stem.

Collecting heads is best done in the morning, as they wither under the influence of sunlight. Broccoli inflorescences that ripen early are not suitable for long-term storage. You can do with them in 2 ways: immediately cook or freeze. The crop harvested in mid-autumn can be stored for up to 3 months. It needs coolness to stay fresh. You will need to put the heads in the refrigerator or in the basement.

Broccoli has an interesting twist.Even after being removed from the soil, its bushes are capable of forming new ovaries. If, in the process of preparing the garden for winter, pull them out by the roots and leave them in the beds, then after 1 month it will be possible to cut off the last juicy inflorescences from them.

Asparagus has not yet gained great popularity among summer residents, but this culture deserves attention. Eating the flowers regularly is good for your health, and preparing them is quick and easy. Broccoli dishes will add variety to the diet, because there are many recipes for them. It can be boiled, fried, stewed with other vegetables, steamed, used as a filling for pies.

Caring for asparagus cabbage will not take much time. They grow it not only in the garden. At home, you can get inflorescences rich in vitamins all year round by planting seeds in wooden boxes and putting them on a balcony or loggia. Broccoli is almost not afraid of cold weather, in the open field it is rarely affected by pests, it loves damp weather. It is enough just to water and feed the plantings on time, and you can enjoy the fruits of your labors until late autumn.

Broccoli stands out from the rest of the cabbages for its beauty, exquisite taste, usefulness and demanding character. It is cultivated on all continents, but especially appreciated in Europe. In Russia, the vegetable is only gaining popularity.

Broccoli loves oily, non-acidic soil, mineral nutrition, water and heat, but does not like heat. For a good harvest, the seedlings must be strong, and the varieties must be modern, better hybrid.

Preparing to plant broccoli

To feast on broccoli all summer and fall, and freeze delicious heads for the winter, you will have to tinker with the seedlings. The first seeds are sown at home, in February and March. The next batch is sown in a greenhouse or open ground in April - June. If you sow varieties of different ripening periods at the same time, some of the cabbage will get under the summer heat and will not form heads.

Growing broccoli seedlings allows you to:

• set up a vegetable conveyor;
• grow varieties that are different in terms of ripening;
• protect young plants from cold and pests.

Broccoli seedlings take root after transplanting and quickly catch up, and then overtake cabbage planted with seeds in open ground. Moreover, the latter often lags behind in growth due to damage caused by cruciferous fleas.

It is necessary to choose the right sowing time. The overgrown seedlings will form a small head, which will quickly crumble. Spring seedlings should be 40-50 days old, summer seedlings 30-35 days old. Spring is planted in the garden in early May, summer - in mid-May, when the beds are freed from early crops. Good seedlings have 4-5 leaves, hardened, not elongated.

Broccoli seedlings love good lighting, but prefer a short day regimen. It can be grown in a solar-heated polycarbonate greenhouse - there will be enough heat, light and moisture for delicate plants. In addition, in the greenhouse, young cabbage is protected from cruciferous flea beetles, the malicious pests of seedlings.

Planting broccoli

Strong, hardened seedlings are planted in open ground. Planting is best done in cloudy weather or in the evening. A handful of humus and ash are introduced into the holes.

When transplanting, plants are buried to the cotyledon. With the threat of spring frosts, the garden bed is covered with dense agrofibre.

The distance between plants for early and middle varieties is 45x60 cm. Late varieties form large and powerful leaves, so they need more space - 70x70 cm.

Cabbage is not planted after cabbage. Best Precursors for Broccoli:

• legumes;
• pumpkin;
• onions;
• celery;
• early potatoes.

The broccoli bed can be "diluted":

• cabbage;
• peas;
• onions;
• cucumbers;
• beans;
• beets;
• chicory.

Tomato and celery will keep pests away from broccoli.

Care

Caring for broccoli is almost the same as caring for cauliflower. The plant is in dire need of light and watering. Air must flow to the roots.For this, the topsoil is kept loose. The bed is weeded every week. Plants are spud at least once a season so that additional roots appear on the stem.

Early varieties set heads in 56-60 days, mid-ripening in 65-70. If the summers are cool, the ripening period is lengthened. In the fall, plants that have not had time to grow full-fledged heads can be dug up by the roots and placed in the basement, where they will ripen. With a slight autumn frost, vegetables can be covered with agrofibre or polypropylene bags.

Fertilizers

Broccoli is demanding on the soil. The heads will not be large on sandy soil, but the plants feel great on loam. For culture, fertile, structured, "live" soil is ideal. Such soil does not require digging. On drip irrigation, you can grow heads of record weight on it.

The best fertilizer for broccoli is organic. In the fall, ash and organic matter are introduced into the garden bed: compost, mowed grass, chicken droppings, fallen leaves. In the spring, organic matter will partially decompose, improving the structure and fertility of the soil. Cabbage does not like sour soil - such soil in the fall needs to be calcified or brought in ashes.

Lime must be done with care. Broccoli needs manganese. If you add a lot of lime to the soil, the element will go into an insoluble form and become inaccessible to plants. When applying ash, such problems do not arise.

So, the soil for broccoli should be fertile, warm, loose, airy, moisture-consuming and moisture-permeable. This is not difficult to achieve if a lot of organic matter is applied for 3-4 years in a row. In medium-fertile soils, they apply under 10-15 kg of organic matter, on chernozems, 5 kg per square meter. On sandy soils, the organic rate is increased by 1.5 times.

In addition to organic fertilizers, mineral fertilizers will be required. At the beginning of development, the vegetable needs nitrogen and phosphorus, in the middle - in potassium. An excess of phosphorus leads to looseness of the heads, therefore, superphosphate is introduced not for digging, but in the form of dressings.

Cauliflower and broccoli are sensitive to micronutrient deficiencies. With a lack of boron, the apical buds die. Lack of magnesium leads to hollowness of the heads.

Broccoli is a big lover of molybdenum. If it is not enough, the head will not form, and the leaves will grow deformed.

In order not to scrupulously select individual macro- and microelements and not to be engaged in spraying and burying powders into the soil throughout the season, any complex fertilizer, for example, nitrophosphate, can be added to the soil in the fall. And micronutrients should be given in the form of foliar dressings, choosing a fertilizer in which they are in an organic (chelated) form.

Watering

Broccoli has shallow roots and large leaves that evaporate a lot of water, so it is moisture-loving. It is desirable that the top 40 cm of soil in the garden bed is moist - then the heads will grow faster. Even a slight overdrying will provoke grinding of the heads and reduce their quality.

The vegetable loves refreshing sprinkling, but not every summer resident can afford to water the cabbage with a hose every day. To save water and time, you can set up a drip irrigation system and mulch the garden with organic matter.

Growing tips

If broccoli fails year after year, you need to find errors in agricultural technology. Here are some typical flaws:

• infertile soil - sandy, not filled with organic matter, with a low humus content;
• outdated varieties;
• seedlings of poor quality;
• early sowing with seeds in the ground, when the temperature has still risen to a sufficiently high level;
• getting seedlings under spring frost - unlike white cabbage, broccoli does not tolerate cold;
• thickening, due to which the heads of cabbage are not tied;
• lack of moisture;
• lack of trace elements, especially molybdenum, which gives the heads density;
• attack of pests and diseases;
• planting seedlings in open ground in an excessively hot and dry period.

Broccoli outgrows quickly - faster than cauliflower.Dense heads become loose, amorphous, or even bloom in 2-3 days. Therefore, they need to be cut off in time, without overexposing in the beds.

Broccoligrown in the Ural conditions can be called a multivitamin concentrate. This healthy vegetable contains mineral salts of phosphorus, iron, calcium 2-3 times more than in cauliflower.

It can be noted that the choline and methionine contained in the protein prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the body and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Broccoli has a beneficial effect on digestion. In folk medicine, it is recommended to be eaten by those who need diet and vitamins to prevent cardiovascular diseases and strengthen the nervous system.

At growing and care broccoli it should be borne in mind that this is a drought-resistant, frost-resistant and light-loving culture. In beds located in sunny places, it grows better and yields a harvest earlier. Plants tolerate short-term heat and frost well to minus 6-7.

A characteristic feature of this culture is its ability to form a crop on lateral branches (stepchildren) after cutting off the head on the central shoot. Thus, due to this feature, it is possible to extend the life of the plant itself and increase its yield to the maximum.

When preparing for growing broccoli cabbage, it is better to choose areas protected from cold winds for early plantings, and open, well-ventilated areas for later plantings.

Growing broccoli cabbage

In the Urals, broccoli grows well and gives high yields. It is grown by seedlings and sowing seeds in the ground. The cabbage bed is fertilized, mineral fertilizers are applied, humus - 1-2 buckets per m, if the soil is acidic, it is lime.

Preparing broccoli seeds

Before sowing, the seeds are heated in hot water (48-50) for 20 minutes.

Then it is soaked for 8 hours in one of the solutions: boric acid (0.5 g per one liter), potassium permanganate (1 g per one liter), or in an infusion of ash.

Ash infusion is prepared as follows:

1 l. water, a tablespoon of wood ash, mix everything and leave for 2 days, stirring occasionally.

Then cabbage seeds are placed in the ash infusion and after keeping them for 5 hours, they are taken out, dried and sown.

Broccoli seedlings are grown using the same technology as other types of cabbage.

Broccoli cabbage growing seedlings, planting

Seedlings of broccoli cabbage planting dates.

1. Sowing begins in the first decade of May and ends on June 20.
2. Seeds of broccoli for growing seedlings are sown one and a half months before planting in the ground for early plantings, and 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, be sure to watered.

In the future, the soil under the cabbage is kept moist, it is watered especially well in dry weather, and after watering, the aisles are loosened to provide air access to the roots.

Broccoli early ripening, forms heads in 20-25, and will yield crops in 27-35 days after planting seedlings in the ground.

Broccoli growing and care

When large heads grow on the plant, they are cut off at the base. This promotes the rapid growth of lateral shoots and the formation of new heads. They need to be cleaned more often. Old plants give small heads that quickly disintegrate. Therefore, broccoli of early May planting dates are used for food until early - mid-September.

Broccoli growing from seeds in the open field

In the Urals, broccoli grows well when sown with seeds in the moist soil of the 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 cabbage is sown.

Sowing dates for broccoli seeds: May - early June. A week after sowing, the first shoots will appear.Caring for cabbage crops is usual - thinning, weeding, watering. After thinning, there should be 50 cm between the rows and 30 cm between the individual plants.

The main enemies of cabbage, especially in the early sowing period, are cruciferous fleas. And therefore, first of all, broccoli crops should be protected from pests.

If the seeds are planted in early May, then harvesting begins in 2-3 decades of July.

But more favorable conditions for sowing cabbage seeds is the last decade of May. Seedlings are less damaged by cruciferous flea beetles, they grow better, and the fruits are larger.

When sown in the third decade of May, the crop is harvested in the first decade of August. And when sowing in early June - harvesting at the end of August.

The yield of broccoli when planted with seeds is no less than when growing broccoli through seedlings.

When freezing occurs, broccoli can be dug up by the roots and transplanted into a greenhouse. There, the plants continue to grow and produce crops.

Growing broccoli seeds

To grow cabbage seeds on cabbage planted in May, one large inflorescence is left. The plant is looked after, huddled, tied to a peg for better stability.

In September, the testes are cut, they do this when the pods turn yellow and the seeds turn dark.

The seeds ripen and dry out gradually, they are dried in a ventilated room, then the pods are cut off, and the seeds are threshed.

It is important to take into account that good, high-quality and ripe 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 (no later!)

To obtain seeds on healthy, early-ripening broccoli specimens, 2-3 powerful shoots are left with formed inflorescences (heads). As soon as the plants begin to bloom, they should be fixed by tying them to pegs. In this case, the tops of the inflorescences in the very center must be cut 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. To accelerate the maturation of seeds on the left inflorescences, it is necessary to promptly remove the newly emerging shoots (stepchildren) even in their embryonic state.

Cooking

Broccoli salad

500 g of broccoli is dipped in salted boiling water, sugar is added to taste and cooked until softened. After that, the broccoli is placed on a dish and poured with sauce, decorated with tomato slices and salad.

Sauce: 3 tbsp. spoons of ready-made mustard, mayonnaise, 2 hard-boiled eggs, onions, salt, sugar - mix everything.

Broccoli is a type of cauliflower. Due to the content of the mass of nutrients, it is indispensable in the diet of people who adhere to proper nutrition. Broccoli contains a large amount of protein, so it is advisable to include it in the menu for vegetarians, fasting and doing fitness or bodybuilding. Gardeners should grow such a valuable crop in their beds. To get a good harvest, you should choose the right variety and care for the plant.

The best varieties of broccoli cabbage

There are many varieties of broccoli. You need to choose the right one depending on the growing region and personal preferences. In cold climates, it is advisable to plant early maturing and cold-resistant varieties. If you want to get seeds from a plant, then you should not choose hybrids (they are marked with F1 in the name).

The edible part of broccoli is unblown flowers.

Early ripening broccoli varieties (60-100 days after germination):

• Batavia F1;
• Linda;

  Linda's heads are dark green in color, they are large in size - their weight can reach 400 g

• Lord F1;
• Monaco F1;
• Tone;
• Vitamin.

Mid-ripening (105-130 days from the moment of emergence):

• Ironman F1;
• Dwarf;
• Fortune.

Late ripening (130-145 days from the moment of emergence):

• Agassi F1;
• Marathon F1;
• Parthenon F1.

  Broccoli Parthenon has a large head weighing up to 0.6 kg

For cold climates (Siberia, Ural, North-West region):

• Lazarus;
• Broccoli F1;
• Emperor.

For growing in greenhouses and greenhouses:

• Lucky;
• Continental;
• Calabrese.

Planting broccoli

Broccoli is undemanding to the ground, but the yield increases on calcareous soils. It should not be planted in the shade, but the plant does not like the scorching sun either. The best predecessors are potatoes, legumes, carrots, cucumbers. You don't need to grow broccoli after beets, turnips, radishes, radishes, and other types of cabbage.

This cabbage is planted with seedlings or seeds directly to the beds. The first option is used more often.

Seed preparation

Whichever planting method is chosen, you first need to prepare the seeds. It is better to select the largest ones for growing.

1. First, the seeds are kept for about 20 minutes in warm water (about 50оС), then for 1–2 minutes in cold water.
2. Disinfect them (if during the soaking process some seeds float up, it means that they are not suitable for growing), then washed.
3. For a day, they are placed in the refrigerator, in a place where it is not very cold (the compartment farthest from the freezer or on a shelf in the door).
4. Dry the seeds (no need to dry out).

The largest seeds are selected for growing broccoli seedlings

There are several solution options for disinfection:

• 0.5 g of boric acid is mixed with 1 liter of water, the seeds are kept in the mixture for 8 hours;
• 1 g of potassium permanganate is dissolved in 1 liter of water, the seeds are kept in the mixture for 8 hours;
• 1 tbsp. l. ash is mixed with 1 liter of water, insisted for 2 days, the seeds are kept in the mixture for 5 hours.

Growth stimulants can be added to these solutions.

Sometimes gardeners recommend using aloe juice for soaking.

Seedling method

Seeds for seedlings are planted 35-40 days before the intended planting in the main place of growth. It is best to use wooden boxes with drainage (stones or expanded clay are placed on the bottom) or pots for seedlings with a diameter of 6–8 cm. The soil is chosen neutral or alkaline. You can make a mixture of peat, turf and sand in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. If garden soil is used, it is advisable to mix it with manure and ash, you also need to disinfect the soil (for example, warm it up in a water bath or in a microwave oven). Disinfection is carried out 2 weeks before planting the seeds, as the soil microflora must have time to recover. Also, a day before sowing, you can water the soil with potassium permanganate (a solution of dark purple color), this will protect the plants from the disease "black leg".

So that during the summer there is always fresh cabbage, seedlings are sown 3-4 times with an interval of 1.5-2 weeks. In this case, 3 sowings of broccoli seeds are made, for example, March 15-April 15, April 15-June 15, June 15-July 1.

If broccoli seedlings are planted with an interval of 1.5-2 weeks, then the harvest can take longer in summer.

Planting process:

1. Before planting seeds for seedlings, the soil must be watered.
2. They are planted to a depth of about 1 cm.
3. There should be a distance of at least 3 cm between the seeds.
4. Seedlings are grown at a temperature of 16–25оС. After seed germination, you can use a different temperature regime: during the day 20-22 ° C, at night - 10-12 ° C. This strengthens the plant and prevents it from stemming in the future.
5. Water the seedlings every other day, very sparingly, but without drying out the earth.
6. When two leaves have appeared, for weak seedlings, you can carry out top dressing: dissolve 20 g of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride in 10 liters of water.
7. Diving this culture is undesirable. This is done if the plants are already ready for planting in the ground, but the temperature outside is still below 15 ° C.

After 5-6 weeks, when 5-6 leaves have grown, young plants are transplanted to a permanent place. There is no need to overgrow the seedlings, otherwise the crop will not be of the best quality. A week before planting, the plants begin to harden, for this they open the windows in the house or on the balcony (or greenhouse doors) for several hours a day.

Landing in open ground

It is advisable to dig up the ground in the fall, on which there will be beds, and fertilize it with mineral fertilizers or humus. Acidic soils are alkalinized with lime before digging.If you did not have time in the fall, you can add it in the spring, a month before sowing. Also, in the spring, the soil is fertilized with compost (1 bucket per 1 m2).

To lower the acidity of the soil, along with lime, dolomite flour is used.

Landing Algorithm:

1. Holes for plants are dug to a depth of 20-25 cm, between them there should be gaps of 35-40 cm, between rows - 50-60 cm. Ash (1-2 tbsp.) And urea (1 tsp.) Are added to each.
2. Before planting the plants, the pits are watered - the earth should be moistened to a mushy state.
3. Seedlings are planted in the afternoon.
4. The main root is pinched off so that the root system develops better.
5. The seedlings are covered with earth so that only the top remains on the surface (the growth point should also be above the ground).

Seedless way

Broccoli can be planted with seeds in open ground from March to mid or late summer, depending on the temperature of the air and the ground. The germination of seeds should not be allowed at a temperature of 2–8 ° C, this will lead to problems in the development of the plant.

Greenhouse-grown broccoli can harvest as early as May

In the greenhouse, you can plant cabbage early - the seeds are sown in early March. In this case, if the variety is early, there will be a harvest in May. Broccoli is planted in open ground in April-May, best of all, when the temperature is 16-25 ° C. Preparing the soil and holes is similar to preparing for planting seedlings.

1. Before planting the seeds, the garden bed is watered.
2. The seeds are deepened into the soil by 1–1.5 cm.
3. After the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, the plants are thinned out in such a way that there is a distance of 40 cm between them.

Landing features in the regions

In cold areas, you do not need to rush to plant, but in hot areas, on the contrary, you need to be in time before the onset of drought. You should focus on the climate of the region: the earlier the warmth comes, the earlier the preparation of the beds and the cultivation of seedlings begins:

• in the North-West of Russia (Leningrad region), seedlings are best grown in a greenhouse, planting at the end of April. The apartment has too low humidity and little light for her, and it is too cold outside in the northern regions - the sprouts will not withstand temperatures below 0 ° C. Also, gardeners recommend watering broccoli seedlings with calcium nitrate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water) because of the too acidic soils in the Northwest;
• in the middle lane, the Moscow region, in Siberia and the Urals, broccoli is also grown in seedlings. If you plant early-maturing varieties after the warmth has established (not earlier than May; it all depends on the specific year), you can try planting seeds in open ground, but in this case, the crop from the plant will turn out only 1-2 times per season;
• in the southern regions (Krasnodar Territory, Crimea), broccoli can be planted directly in open ground. This should be done from mid-April. It is advisable to choose a place protected from the wind;
• in Belarus, broccoli can be grown both by seedlings and non-seedlings. In the second case, seeds are sown in open ground from mid-April to mid-June, preferably under film or other shelters.

Growing

The care for broccoli when grown in a greenhouse and outdoors is the same. In the greenhouse, you need to monitor the temperature and humidity - not higher than 80% and 20 ° C, since high humidity, especially when combined with heat, provokes the development of diseases, and its lack is bad for the growth and development of plants.

When grown outdoors, it is advisable to shade the plants on very hot days with the scorching sun, and even better to humidify the air; for this, containers with water are placed near the landings, low and wide (so that there is a larger area of ​​moisture evaporation). You can also spray the plants.

Adult broccoli tolerates short drops in temperature (up to -5 ° C), but prolonged hypothermia leads to the appearance of arrows.

Watering

Broccoli requires watering depending on the drying out of the soil - it should be moderately moist, but not turn into liquid mud. In the heat, it may be required every day. Better to water in the evenings and loosen afterwards.If watering is carried out, for example, once a week, then the broccoli will grow, but the taste and size of the inflorescences will not be up to par.

Top dressing

Top dressing is very useful for broccoli, although sufficient moisture is still more important for it. You can alternate mineral and organic fertilizers.

By the look of the cabbage, you can understand what substances it lacks: when there is little nitrogen in the soil, the plant grows slowly, and the lower leaves turn yellow and wither, and if there is a deficiency of potassium, then the leaves become bronze or red, their edges dry, the heads of cabbage begin divide into individual inflorescences.

Healthy broccoli - with leaves of color matching the variety and close-fitting inflorescences

Fertilization scheme option:

1. The first feeding is done about a week after planting seeds for seedlings or in open ground. Urea diluted in water is used for it (2 tablespoons per 10 liters per 10-15 seedlings).
2. The plants are fertilized a second time after 2 weeks with slurry. It is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4, the mixture is poured under the roots.
3. The third feeding is done when the inflorescences began to appear. Use super- or nitrophosphate (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water for 5-10 plants).
4. Fertilize for the fourth time after the central head of broccoli has been cut off. Fertilizer is better organic.

If you can't feed broccoli 4 times per season, you can do it at least twice. In this case, you can do without organic fertilizers and use ammonium (15 g per 1 m2) and potassium (40 g per 1 m2) nitrate.

After each fertilization, the soil is loosened and the plants are heaped.

Video: growing broccoli

Pests and diseases

In general, broccoli is more resistant to disease than other types. But in the presence of negative factors and poor care, it is affected by the same diseases and pests.

Cabbage (cruciferous) fleas

There are several varieties of this pest; in Russia, black-and-yellow fleas 2-3 mm in size are usually found. They wake up when the snow melts and feed on other cruciferous plants before cabbage is planted in the beds. They are dangerous because they gnaw holes in broccoli leaves.

The cruciferous flea has yellow stripes on its wings.

Prevention and folk methods of struggle:

• weed cruciferous weeds;
• cover the broccoli sprouts with sand as soon as they appear;
• sprinkle the plants with ash, tobacco with lime, lime dust - this scares off flea beetles;
• in dry weather, spray the broccoli with a vinegar solution (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).

For the chemical destruction of cruciferous flea beetles, drugs are used:

• Actellik;
• Bankcol;
• Karate;
• Decis.

Cabbage aphid

These pests feed on the juices of cabbage leaves, which causes them to curl and wilt. In the fall, they lay their eggs on the weeds, and in the spring, the larvae hatch. They are similar to adults, only slightly smaller in size. Adult insects look different - wingless females are white or grayish, 1.9–2.3 mm, winged ones - brown and yellow, 2.15 mm.

Aphid females reproduce by partogenesis (without the participation of a male) and are already born with "pregnant" eggs.

Prevention and folk methods of struggle:

• in the fall, remove all weeds and cabbage residues that should be burned from the beds;
• plant plants of the umbrella family on cabbage beds - they lure insects that destroy aphids;

  Ladybugs are natural enemies of aphids

• wipe the broccoli leaves with soapy water;
• wipe or spray the plants with infusion of garlic, onions, tobacco, potato or tomato tops.

Aphid chemicals:

• Decis;
• Karbofos;
• Spark-Double effect.

Cabbage fly

Its larvae eat the roots and stalk of cabbage. They are white and up to 8 mm in size. The cabbage fly is similar to the common fly, but lighter (gray) and smaller (6 mm).

Prevention and folk methods of struggle:

• Dig deep into the beds in the fall so that the larvae in the ground will die;
• you can change the top layer of earth (10 cm) to another soil;
• remove weeds;
• spring cabbage fly lays eggs during cherry blossoms; at this time, you can line the ground around the broccoli with paper with a hole for the stem. Then the fly will not be able to lay eggs in the ground, and, accordingly, the larvae will not destroy the plants;
• Sprinkle broccoli and soil around with ash, hot pepper, and mustard powder every week.

Cabbage Fly Control Chemicals:

• a mixture of DDT and hexachlorane dusts;
• thiophos emulsion;
• chlorophos solution.

Cabbage leaf beetle

The larvae of this pest eat the leaves of cabbage and other cruciferous plants. Adult beetles are green, reaching 3-4 mm. They love high humidity.

Leaf beetles are beautiful but very dangerous beetles for plants

Prevention and folk methods of struggle:

• weed cruciferous weeds, destroy the remains of plants of this family;
• sprinkle the plants with tobacco dust with ash or slaked lime;
• spray the plants with a solution of vinegar and salt (1 tbsp. 9% vinegar mixed with 10 liters of water and 400 g of salt). This remedy also helps against other pests;
• beetles can be collected by hand and glue traps can be placed on the beds to catch them.

For chemical treatment of beetles, universal insecticides are used:

• Aktara;
• Decis;
• Karate.

Cabbage scoop

Gray-brown moth. For cabbage, its caterpillars are dangerous (depending on age, they are green or brown and yellow), which can gnaw passages in the head of cabbage and pollute it with waste products.

In addition to the scoop, there is another butterfly that harms broccoli - cabbage whitefish (cabbage)

For prevention, in the fall, they dig up the beds so that the pupae of the butterflies are destroyed. The emerging caterpillars are harvested by hand early in the morning or in cloudy weather.

There are insects that help in the fight against pest butterflies. Trichograms (egg-eating riders) destroy their eggs.

Chemicals against cabbage scoop:

• Phosbecid;
• Karbofos;
• Diazinon.

Slugs

These pests destroy not only cabbage, but also other cultivated plants. Prevention and control methods:

• clean the area from grass thickets, debris, prevent waterlogging and the appearance of puddles - slugs love shelter and water;
• sprinkle the soil with coarse sand, grated eggshells, and fine gravel to make it inconvenient for the pests to move;
• sprinkle plants and aisles with ash, lime;
• pesticide metaldehyde is used for chemical treatment.

Toads and hedgehogs eat slugs.

Keela

Common cabbage disease. With a keel, swellings appear on the roots of plants, resembling bubbles. As a result, the plant turns yellow, withers and dies. Most often, the disease manifests itself on acidic moist soils.

Keela on cabbage roots usually develops in acidic soils

The fight consists in liming the earth (300–400 g of lime per 1 m2 of soil). Also, when a disease occurs, feeding is increased. If the plants are sick, then no types of cabbage are planted in this place for the next 5 years.

Mucous bacteriosis

With this disease, cabbage turns yellow, becomes covered with mucus, and a rotten smell appears. Heads of cabbage fall off before ripening. To prevent bacteriosis, it is necessary to properly care for broccoli and fight pests, in particular, cabbage flies, which spread rotting bacteria. During development, the plants are sprinkled with ash. If a disease has appeared, watering with potassium permanganate can be applied, but this should not be abused, because the useful microflora of the soil will also die.

Downy mildew

Fungal disease of seedlings, in which spots appear on the leaves. They are small, yellowish, covered with a grayish powdery coating. The disease often develops with high humidity and cold watering.

To avoid disease, seeds should be properly prepared for planting, as well as optimal conditions for seedlings should be provided. When downy mildew appears, young plants are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate with soap (1 tbsp. L. Vitriol and 1 tbsp.spoon of liquid, better than tar, soap for 10 liters of water). Spraying is repeated 3 weeks after planting in the ground.

Ash and sulfur also help with downy mildew.

Blackleg

The disease also affects seedlings, and not only cabbage, but also other vegetable crops. With this disease, the stem near the ground turns black, becomes thinner; as a result, the plant dies. Most often, the "black leg" arises from waterlogging.

If the disease has appeared, then carefully, so as not to damage the roots of the plant, remove the soil from under them and replace it with a layer (1.5–2 cm) of sand or ash. After that, the cabbage is watered with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate. Further watering is done very sparingly, also using a weak solution of potassium permanganate (pale pink). With the systematic occurrence of the disease, chemical disinfection of the soil is carried out.

Vascular bacteriosis

The disease affects all cruciferous plants. It usually appears 2-3 weeks after transplanting seedlings into open ground. The characteristic features of the disease are the rapid yellowing of cabbage leaves, which begins at the edges, as well as blackening of the veins (vessels) of the leaves. Affected plants are delayed in growth, young ones die. In winter, such cabbage is poorly stored, rots.

Preventive measures:

• pre-planting seed treatment (you cannot take seeds from diseased plants);
• control of pests that carry bacteria;
• weeding;
• deep digging of beds in the fall and disinfection if there were diseased plants;
• crop rotation (you cannot plant cabbage in the same place again within 4 years);
• before planting in the soil, you can add the drug Trichodermin (1 tbsp. l. per 1 m2 to a depth of 1-2 cm);
• seedlings are sprayed with preparations based on copper, when 2-3 true leaves have appeared.

Sick seedlings cannot be planted, they are destroyed.

The vessels of a plant infected with bacteriosis turn black

Bacterial spot

With this disease, spots appear on the leaves. At first, they resemble watery dots, which grow over time and turn brown or purple. Some spots can be up to 3 mm. They often merge with each other. Severely affected leaves die off. Spotting can also appear on inflorescences (gray and brown spots), stems, leaf petioles.

Preventive measures are standard - proper soil and seed preparation, good care. To combat the disease, the same methods are used as for vascular bacteriosis. In areas where diseased plants grew, the soil is disinfected.

Seeds from cabbage affected by spotting are unsuitable for planting.

General preventive measures

There are rules that must be followed in any case to make broccoli more resistant to diseases and pests:

• Do not plant broccoli after other cruciferous plants.
• lime the soil;
• weed weeds;
• avoid too dense plantings;
• do not plant broccoli in the shade;
• avoid drying out or waterlogging of the soil;
• burn dead plants.

Photo gallery: plants that protect against pests

Collection and storage of broccoli

Harvesting begins 3-4 months after sowing. It can be harvested from one plant three times, because after cutting off the central head, lateral shoots begin to grow. Cut off the inflorescences green. When yellow flowers appear, it means that the cabbage is overripe. To prevent this, you do not need to wait until the head grows very large.

Overripe broccoli can be distinguished by the blossoming yellow flowers

The signal for harvesting is the following moment: when the inflorescences become loose, it means that flowers are about to bloom and it is urgent to cut off the heads... In addition, there are more vitamins in dense inflorescences, and the hardness will be eliminated with prolonged cooking. Inflorescences are cut from both the central and lateral shoots in the early morning, when they are most juicy. You can also eat the stem on which the head is located (up to 10 cm down from it).Early harvest broccoli is kept in the refrigerator for about a week and also frozen. Fall cabbage is suitable for long storage in the cellar.

Broccoli inflorescences and trunk are eaten

Reviews of gardeners

Grow broccoli for any gardener. To do this, you need to follow the rules for planting and caring for the plant. Proper farming, disease prevention and pest control are the keys to a good harvest.

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