You must have seen this vegetable in the market or supermarket.
Everest Agaba, a gardening expert says it is also known as a Brassica Olertacea from the cabbage family.
It is grown for its edible flower buds and stalk. Broccoli can be grown indoors and outdoors provided it is in cool temperatures.
Planting
- Tilt up land meant for planting to make a clear field.
- Open up 1-2cm trenches below the surface
- Sow the seeds 30-60cm apart, leaving about 2-3feet between rows.
- Cover with soil then water the soil to provide moisture
- According to Agaba, mulch the row to suffocate weeds as cultivation may disturb the shallow roots of the plant.
- When the plant gets to 6-8 inches tall, fertilise it by use of low nitrogen as it may cause hollow stems.
Soils and propagation
Samuel Odongo, a resident in Bukoto who grows broccoli says, all broccoli needs is regular watering which helps to moisturise the soil.
You should avoid getting the developing seedlings wet when you are watering because it prefers well-drained fertile soils to grow well.
Broccoli is propagated when the seeds germinate at soil temperatures of as low as 40F, and in only four to seven days, the seedlings will emerge.
Harvesting
Unlike regular cabbage which takes about three months to mature, Agaba says broccoli takes four months to harvest.
Common pests and diseases
Armyworms and cabbage looper moths are some of the pests that attack broccoli.
Bacterial soft rot can easily occur during wet and warm conditions, which can make the plant rot. It mainly attacks the middle head of the broccoli as it starts to become darker.
