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🔍 Click to enlargevegetableannual💧 Hydroponic-Compatible
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)
Nutrient-dense cool-season crop. Plant early for spring or late summer for fall.
Quick Facts
Sun:☀️ Full Sun
Water:💧💧 Moderate
USDA Zones:Zones 3–10
Space:🌱 Small Bed, 🏡 Large Garden
Soil:Loam, Clay, Silty
Best Season(s):Spring, Fall
Experience Level:🌿 Intermediate
Native Range:Mediterranean Basin
Bloom Color:Yellow flowers if the head is left to bolt (grown for the flower buds themselves)
Bloom Cycle:Harvested as an unopened flower bud cluster; blooms yellow if left too long
Days to Harvest:55–80 days in hydro
Harvest Pattern:Continuous / cut-and-come-again
Care Notes
Harvest when heads are tight and dark green. Side shoots continue after main harvest.
💧 Hydroponic Notes
Works in DWC or ebb & flow. Needs cool temps (60–65°F). Larger root mass — use 5-gallon buckets. Harvest main head, then side shoots continue for weeks.
Growing Details
Mature Size:1.5-3 ft tall, 1.5-2 ft wide
Growth Rate:🌿 Moderate
Zone Performance
In Zones 3-6, broccoli is grown as a spring crop timed to mature before summer heat causes premature small-headed bolting, with a second planting in midsummer for a fall harvest that often produces better quality heads than spring's. In Zones 8-10, it's grown almost exclusively as a fall-through-winter crop, since heads planted in spring bolt quickly once temperatures rise.
Companions & Wildlife
🦌 Deer Resistance
frequently damaged
Broccoli's tender leaves and developing heads are highly attractive to deer, and unprotected plantings are frequently among the first crops browsed in a mixed garden.
🐝 Pollinator Value
moderate
Heads harvested before flowering offer little value, but any plant left to bolt produces clusters of small yellow flowers that draw honeybees, bumblebees, and cabbage white butterflies.
Good Companions
Dill — Dill's flowers attract parasitic wasps and other predatory insects that prey on cabbage worms and other brassica pests.
Troubleshooting
⚠️ Cabbage worms and loopers chewing heads and leaves
Cover with row cover from transplanting through harvest, or apply Bt at first sign of caterpillar damage.
⚠️ Heads bolting to loose yellow flowers before harvest
Harvest heads promptly once tight and dark green, and avoid planting broccoli where it will mature during a hot stretch.
⚠️ Small, premature 'buttoning' heads
This is usually caused by transplant stress or a cold snap after planting too-large transplants — set out compact, stocky seedlings at the correct time for your zone.
⚠️ Aphids hiding deep in developing heads
Rinse heads thoroughly before use and encourage natural predators by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticide sprays.
✅ Pet Safety
Non-toxic to cats and dogs in normal amounts; can cause mild gas in large quantities.
Informational only — always check with a veterinarian if you suspect your pet has eaten something it shouldn't have.
🌿 Traditional & Medicinal Use
A well-documented dietary source of vitamin C and sulforaphane — food value, not a medicinal preparation.
Informational only, not medical advice — consult a healthcare provider before using any plant medicinally.