Successful open field cultivation and care for broccoli
Much like cauliflower, broccoli is highly prized for its low calorie content, health benefits and great taste. Many modern summer residents choose it as the main garden crop, since broccoli, growing and caring for which in the open field does not present any particular difficulties, gives a good harvest even in regions with short and cold summers.
There are two main methods of planting broccoli:
- seedless (from seeds);
- seedling.
Each method has its own advantages and is suitable for growing broccoli in a summer cottage and garden.
Growing from seedlings
Seed preparation for growing seedlings begins in early spring. To obtain a good and high quality seedling, seeds are sorted, selecting only large and undamaged specimens. They are sown in boxes, which are filled with a neutral or slightly alkaline substrate.
The soil for sowing seeds must be loose and permeable, therefore drainage material is laid on the bottom of the boxes.
The seeds are placed in the ground at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other in shallow grooves. Before the appearance of the first shoots, the air temperature in the room where the seedlings are grown should not be lower than + 20 ° C; after the seedlings emerge, it can be reduced to + 10 ° C.
Broccoli seedlings develop quickly, so after two weeks they need to dive. It is best to dive into small peat pots, which can be planted in the ground with the onset of warmth together with young plants.
Usually, broccoli seedlings are planted in the garden no earlier than a month after sowing the seeds, when 5-6 leaves appear on the cabbage. Planting broccoli in the ground in the suburbs, as well as in other regions with a cold climate, is carried out not earlier than May and only in the soil well warmed by the sun.
Technique for growing broccoli from seeds
In order not to mess with boxes and seedlings, you can grow broccoli in the garden from seeds. As a rule, seeds are planted in the ground to a depth of 2-3 cm at the end of April. In order for the first shoots of broccoli to appear as quickly as possible, the soil must be moist when planting seeds.
Growing broccoli outdoors in the Urals, as well as in other regions with cool and short summers, should be done only with cold-resistant and early varieties of cabbage. The use of late-ripening varieties in these regions will be inappropriate, since the cabbage will not have time to ripen. Planting broccoli seeds in open ground in cold areas is not possible until May.
Broccoli care features
Growing and caring for broccoli in the open field practically does not differ from the cultivation of other varieties of cabbage and will be within the power of every summer resident. Broccoli cabbage is one of the unpretentious plants. However, in order for the plant to please with its bountiful harvest, the soil in the broccoli garden must be loosened regularly, and the cabbage itself must be fertilized and watered.
Watering
Watering broccoli should be done at least once a week. In order for the cabbage to grow juicy and large, it is necessary to water not only the roots of the plant, but also abundantly spray its leaves.
Top dressing
For broccoli cabbage to please with a generous harvest, it must be fed three times a season. The first time - 2 weeks after planting seedlings in the garden. In this case, they use organic fertilizers (such as chicken droppings or mullein).
The next feeding is done with saltpeter a few weeks after the first. Third feeding phosphorus-potassium fertilizers carried out during the appearance of the first inflorescences.
Pests and diseases
Growing and caring for broccoli outdoors is sometimes complicated by pests and diseases that this cabbage variety can be exposed to. The main pests of broccoli can be:
- slugs;
- cabbage butterfly;
- cabbage fly;
- aphid.
Seedlings, leaves and inflorescences can be affected by diseases such as keela, black leg, rot, mosaic, peronosporosis.
Special chemicals are used to control pests. In the case of broccoli diseases, diseased specimens from the garden are removed, and healthy inflorescences are treated with special solutions.
Harvesting
The broccoli heads should be cut green, without waiting for the yellow flowers to appear. If broccoli has bloomed outdoors, it becomes unfit for human consumption. It is better not to cut off such heads and leave them in the garden to get seeds.
Do not rip broccoli out of the ground after cutting the head. In broccoli, shoots grow out of the lateral sinuses very quickly, from which another crop can be obtained.
The presented photos of growing broccoli in the open field demonstrate that with regular watering and observing the basic rules of care, every summer resident will be able to get a generous and high-quality harvest of such a healthy and tasty cabbage.