Broccoli as fall crop

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I'm now yanking out my spring broccoli plants. The side shoots are bolting, and striped worms have annihilated the leaves and heads. I got a decent crop of main heads though, pretty good for my first attempt.

So I want to plant a fall crop. I have seed of 'Arcadia' which is supposed to have better than average cold tolerance (my spring crop was 'Green magic').

First 32F frost is typically in late October, but we don't usually get below 25F before mid or even late November most years. So I could conceivably harvest the primary heads in early November without many issues. I've read that if temperatures are too cold when heads start forming, that it can cause problems, but it's unlikely that would be an issue in October when they start forming.

Should I start them indoors in my air-conditioned home to keep the young seedlings protected from the heat, or is it OK to direct sow?

As far as timing...sow seeds mid to late July?

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Comments (2)

LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
9 years ago
I start mine indoors under my light setup here. I usually start some in early July and some in mid July. This fall I am growing Arcadia, Early Dividend, and Bay Meadows for heading broccoli as well as Aspabroc broccolini and a couple cauliflower varieties.

I don't think I would want to direct sow in the summer due to the heat and the cabbage worm pressure is much greater from the start when growing for fall harvest. If the caterpillars get on a tiny seedling it might completely disappear overnight.

If you plant too late in summer it will take an extra 2-3 weeks or so for them to head up compared to the DTM for the variety. If I plant out Early Dividend (45 DTM) around August 10 here I can still get a head by the end of September but If I plant it a couple weeks later in may take until late October to head.
digdirt2
9 years ago
Agree with Jack. Start them indoors so they have some size to them before going out to the garden. Then once transplanted cover them with tulle or floating insect barrier row cover to prevent the moths from laying eggs on them.

Dave
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