Broccoli Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Harvesting | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Recipes | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts

🌱 How & Where to Grow Broccoli:

• Start March 1-15 for spring, June-July for fall.
• Best as fall crop – cooler weather makes sweeter, tighter heads!
• Space plants 18-24 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.
• Sunlight: Full sun (6+ hours) but tolerates partial shade.
• Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil with pH 6.0-7.0.
• Soil Amendment: Heavy feeder – needs nitrogen-rich soil

Broccoli is the crown jewel of the garden – with proper timing, you’ll harvest beautiful heads!

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Optimal 60-70°F. Heat stress above 80°F. Tolerates 28°F.

• Best growth: 60-70°F days, 50-60°F nights.
• Bolting trigger: Extended temperatures above 80°F.
• Mature plants tolerate frost down to 28°F.
• Light frost improves flavor and color.

Michigan’s hot summers are broccoli’s enemy – that’s why fall crops are so much better!

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: Critical for head development.
• Watering: 1-1.5 inches weekly – steady moisture prevents hollow stems.
• Mulch: 3 inches to keep soil cool and moist.
• Fertilizer: Side-dress when plants are 8 inches tall.
• Support: May need staking in windy locations.

📏 Harvest Signs:

Tight green buds. Harvest before yellow flowers. Cut for side shoots.

• Watch daily once heads form – they go from perfect to flowering quickly!
• Heads should be deep green with tight, compact buds.
• Harvest immediately if you see any yellowing.
• Head size varies by variety – 4-8 inches typical.

Morning harvest gives you the crispest, sweetest broccoli!

🧺 Harvesting:

Cut 5-6 inches below head. Angle cut for water drainage. Keep harvesting side shoots.

• Always use sharp knife for clean cuts.
• Cut at an angle so water doesn’t pool on stem.
• Include some stem – it’s edible and nutritious!
• Don’t give up – side shoots produce for weeks.
• Harvest regularly to encourage more shoots.

✂️ Pruning:

Remove lower leaves. Cut main head to encourage side shoots.

• Remove yellowing lower leaves for better airflow.
• Top pruning: Cut main head 5-6 inches down stem.
• Leave healthy leaves to feed side shoot production.
• Remove any diseased or pest-damaged foliage.
• Continue harvesting side shoots to promote more.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Cabbage worms (most common), aphids, flea beetles.

• Cabbage worms – green caterpillars hide along stems. Use Bt spray.
• Aphids – gray clusters in head crevices. Blast with water.
• Flea beetles – tiny holes in leaves. Row covers prevent.
• Cabbage loopers – similar to cabbage worms. Bt works.
• Club root – soil disease. Rotate crops, lime soil.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Alliums, marigolds, herbs. Avoid tomatoes, spreading plants.

• Onions and garlic deter many brassica pests.
• Dill and cilantro attract beneficial insects.
• Beets and lettuce make good use of space.
• Avoid tomatoes – heavy feeders compete.
• Keep away from strawberries and pole beans.

🥦 Varieties:

Spring: ‘Flash’, ‘Packman’. Fall: ‘Waltham 29’, ‘De Cicco’.

• ‘Flash’: 58 days, heat tolerant for spring.
• ‘Packman’: 55 days, large heads, good side shoots.
• ‘Waltham 29’: 74 days, cold hardy, perfect for fall.
• ‘De Cicco’: 48 days, Italian heirloom, many shoots.
• ‘Belstar’: 66 days, heat tolerant, disease resistant.

🫙 Preservation:

Freeze blanched 3 minutes. Dehydrate. Fresh 3-5 days.

• Freezing: Blanch florets 3 minutes, stems 5 minutes.
• Fresh storage: Unwashed in perforated bag, 3-5 days.
• Dehydrating: Makes nutritious chips or powder.
• Pickled: Quick pickle florets with garlic and dill.
• Not recommended: Canning (becomes mushy).
• Freeze stems separately for soups and stir-fries.

🧑🏽‍🍳 Recipes:

Roasted with maple glaze, broccoli-cheddar soup, stir-fry.

• Roasted broccoli with garlic and lemon.
• Classic broccoli cheddar soup.
• Broccoli salad with bacon and sunflower seeds.
• Sesame-ginger broccoli stir-fry.
• Broccoli pesto using florets and stems.

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Fall crops dramatically outperform spring.
• Start fall transplants in shade during summer.
• Use row covers entire season for pest control.
• Time spring crops to mature before June heat.
• Michigan’s cool falls perfect for extended harvest.
• Side shoots can produce until hard freeze.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Actually a flower.
• More vitamin C than oranges.
• Michigan flavor beats California’s.
• Broccoli means “little sprouts” in Italian.
• Introduced to America by Italian immigrants in 1920s.
• California produces 90% of US broccoli.
• One cup has only 31 calories but tons of nutrients.
• The stem contains more fiber than the florets!