Broccoli in Zone 5 -- plant

Beginner

Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Broccoli likes rich, loose soil that holds moisture but drains well. Mix in compost before planting.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil

The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight

Full sun · 6-8 hrs/day

Water

Regular

Spacing

12-24 inches

Days to maturity

55-75 days from transplant

Soil pH

6 to 6.5

Container OK?

Yes · 5+ gal pot

Germination temp

40-86°F

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for broccoli

Preferred

6 to 6.5

Tolerated

5.5 to 6.8

Broccoli grows best in slightly acidic to near-neutral soil. A simple soil test tells you where you stand.Aim for a pH near 6.0 to 6.5. Broccoli still does fine across 5.5 to 6.8, and holding the soil at or above roughly 6.8 to 7.0 also helps suppress clubroot, a key brassica soil disease.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Water regularly so the soil stays evenly moist, roughly 1 to 1.5 inches a week.Give about 1 to 1.5 inches weekly, kept even through the season.

Amount

Aim for roughly 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week.About 1 to 1.5 inches per week, more as heads bulk up.

Method

Water at the base of the plant, not over the head.Water at the soil line with drip or a soaker hose where possible.

Signs of trouble

Too much water

Leaves yellow and the plant looks waterlogged.Yellowing lower leaves and stunted, soft growth; broccoli is prone to root rot in soggy soil.

Too little water

Wilting and small heads.Wilting, checked growth, and small or bitter heads; any stall in growth hurts quality.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

twice a season

Type

Nitrogen-rich fertilizer

When to start

starter at transplanting, then side-dress

Broccoli is hungry and needs steady feeding. Give it a feed when you transplant, again about 3 weeks later, and once more after you cut the main head so it makes side shoots.Broccoli is a heavy feeder with a high nitrogen requirement and a small root zone, so place feed near the plant. Use a starter fertilizer at transplanting, side-dress with nitrogen about 3 weeks later, and feed again after cutting the central head to push side shoots. Avoid overdoing nitrogen, which can give soft, poor-quality growth.

N · P · K = 21-0-0

Use a nitrogen-rich feed such as blood meal or a balanced vegetable fertilizer.High N for leafy growth; e.g. 21-0-0 side-dress or blood meal. Starter feed at transplant.

Try Blood meal, 21-0-0, or a balanced vegetable fertilizer

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Broccoli does well next to aromatic herbs, onions, and quick cool-season crops like lettuce. The main things to keep it away from are other cabbage-family plants, which share its diseases. Most broccoli companion pairings are traditional rather than research-tested. The pairings worth acting on are practical ones: aromatic herbs and alliums as scent-based deterrents, and lettuce or spinach as cool-season intercrops that use space and light before broccoli fills in. The well-grounded caution is to separate broccoli from other brassicas, which share clubroot and cabbage-family pests, a rotation and disease principle more than a tested adjacency effect.

Pest deterrent

Marigolds

A traditional all-purpose companion said to deter cabbage moths and aphids. The broad pest-deterrent claim is folklore rather than a documented broccoli-specific effect. Traditional

interplant nearby

Other

Dill

Dill is a classic friend for broccoli. Its strong smell is said to put off cabbage pests, and its flowers bring in helpful insects.Dill works for broccoli through beneficial insects. Its umbel flowers are a magnet for parasitoid wasps and predators like hoverflies and ladybeetles that prey on the aphids and cabbage caterpillars broccoli attracts, and extension trial work pairing aromatic herbs and umbels with brassicas has shown reduced caterpillar damage. Let some dill flower to get the benefit, and site it nearby rather than crowding the broccoli, since flowering dill gets tall and lanky. Research-backed

Onions

Onions are a traditional neighbor for broccoli; their smell is said to help keep cabbage pests away.Onions are one of the better-supported broccoli companions. Their pungent allium scent helps mask the broccoli and deter the cabbage-family pests, loopers, cabbageworms, and root maggots, that hunt partly by smell, and extension trial work including onion in a mix with broccoli showed reduced caterpillar damage. Alliums are shallow-rooted and undemanding, so they tuck around broccoli without competing for much. Research-backed

Lettuce

Lettuce grows fast and low, so you can tuck it between young broccoli plants to use the space while the broccoli fills in.Lettuce and broccoli interplant well on structure and timing rather than chemistry. Lettuce is shallow-rooted and quick, broccoli is taller and slower, so the lettuce uses the open ground and light between young broccoli plants and is harvested before the broccoli canopies over. It is an efficient space pairing; expect a tidy use of the bed, not pest protection. Traditional

Leafy green

Spinach

Another quick cool-season green that shares broccoli's window and fits the same space-driven intercrop role along the bed edge. Traditional and low-risk rather than a documented benefit. Traditional

interplant along edges

Trap crop

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are often planted as a trap crop for cabbage aphids near brassicas. Trap cropping is a documented principle, but it works best for moderately mobile pests and is not a tested broccoli-nasturtium pairing, so treat it as a plausible aid rather than a proven control. Well-grounded

interplant nearby

Vegetable

Celery

A long-standing brassica companion said to deter cabbage white butterflies. Traditional lore with no documented broccoli-specific support. Traditional

interplant nearby

Keep apart from

Other brassicas Keep broccoli away from other cabbage-family plants like cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. They share the same pests and diseases, so planting them together makes problems worse.Planting broccoli cheek-by-jowl with its brassica relatives, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, concentrates the whole family's shared pests (cabbage worms, loopers, flea beetles, root maggots) and shared diseases in one spot, and repeated same-family planting lets soil-borne problems like clubroot build up. Spread brassicas out and rotate where they grow each year rather than blocking them together. Well-grounded

Strawberries A traditional caution that broccoli and strawberries inhibit each other. There is no documented mechanism or T1 support; it persists as folklore. Traditional

Tomatoes Tomatoes and broccoli are both heavy feeders and a traditional list pairs them as competitors for nutrients and space. Inter-plant competition is a real general concept, but the specific bad pairing is not documented for broccoli, and the two also want different seasons. Treat it as low-priority caution. Traditional

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Harvest signals

When to pick

Cut the main head while it is firm, green, and tight, before the little buds open into yellow flowers. More small shoots grow afterward.Cut the central head while the buds are tight, blue-green, and still closed, before any yellow flowers show, taking about 6 inches of stem. Side shoots then form for later picking.

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Yield

What to expect

Each plant gives you one main head about 4 to 8 inches wide, and then a few weeks of smaller side shoots after you cut that main head. How much you get depends a lot on the variety and on the weather staying cool.Expect one central head of roughly 4 to 8 inches across per plant, followed by a steady run of smaller side shoots over several weeks once the main head is cut. Total yield depends heavily on variety and on whether the weather stays cool enough to keep the side shoots coming.

The big harvest is the main head, which fills out over a week or two. After you cut it, the side shoots come on strongest in the following cool weeks, then slow down once it gets hot or freezes. Some varieties, like De Cicco, are bred to make lots of side shoots.The central head matures across a week or two as it reaches full size, and that is the single largest harvest. Side-shoot production then peaks in the cool weeks after the main cut, especially on side-shoot-heavy varieties like De Cicco and Calabrese, and tails off as heat or hard frost arrives. Here's the key thing: cutting the main head while its buds are still tight is what makes the plant produce side shoots, so harvesting on time gives you more overall. It's easy to wait too long and let the head bloom, which makes it less tasty and cuts the side-shoot harvest short.Cutting the central head while the buds are still tight is what triggers the side shoots, so a timely first harvest actually increases total yield. New growers often wait too long and let the head loosen or flower, which both ends the side-shoot run early and gives a coarser main head.

What changes yield

Variety: side-shoot-heavy types (De Cicco, Calabrese) keep producing after the main cut; some hybrids put nearly everything into one large central head and give few shoots.Temperature: cool weather through heading and the side-shoot period sustains yield; heat triggers buttoning, bolting, and loose heads.Harvest timing: cutting the central head while buds are tight drives side-shoot production; a late cut ends it early.Nitrogen and even moisture: this heavy feeder needs steady nitrogen and consistent water to size both the central head and the side shoots.

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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

Green Magic and Belstar are easy, dependable choices. For spring, pick a fast or heat-tolerant variety so it heads before it gets hot; for fall, a hardy one like Waltham 29 works well. De Cicco gives lots of small side shoots over a longer time.Match the variety to the slot: fast, heat-tolerant types like Green Magic for spring, and longer-cycle, cold-hardy types like Waltham 29 for fall. Side-shooting heirlooms such as De Cicco stretch the harvest, while hybrids give more uniform central heads. Where clubroot or other brassica diseases are a concern, look for resistant cultivars.

Calabrese

The classic green Italian heading broccoli and the most widely grown type; a dependable open-pollinated choice with a good central head and side shoots.

Green Magic

An early, reliable hybrid with some heat tolerance, which makes it a good pick for the spring-into-warm-weather crop.

Belstar

A widely adapted hybrid that does well in both spring and fall, popular in organic gardens.

De Cicco

An heirloom with a smaller main head but heavy, prolonged side-shoot production, good for a long picking window.

Waltham 29

A cold-hardy heirloom bred for fall and overwintering, with uniform heads that finish in cool weather.

Sun King

A heat-tolerant hybrid that holds up better in warmth, useful at the warm edges of the season.

Off the vine

Storing your harvest

Room temp

Don't leave broccoli out at room temperature. It goes yellow and tough fast in the warmth, so put it in the fridge as soon as you can after picking.Broccoli is highly perishable and does not hold at room temperature; warmth quickly yellows the buds and turns the heads tough and strong-flavored. Use it within a day if it must sit out, and refrigerate as soon as possible after cutting.

Fridge

Store broccoli unwashed in a loose bag in the fridge's crisper drawer, where it stays good for about a week. Wait to wash it until you're ready to cook, since washing first makes it spoil faster.Refrigerate unwashed in a loose or perforated bag in the crisper; broccoli keeps its quality for roughly 1 week this way. Cold and humidity slow the buds from opening, while washing before storage traps moisture in the head and speeds rot.

Freezer

Broccoli freezes well if you blanch it first. Cut it into florets, boil them for about 3 minutes, then cool them right away in ice water, drain, and freeze. The quick boil keeps the broccoli from losing its color and flavor in the freezer.Broccoli freezes well once blanched: cut into florets, blanch about 3 minutes in boiling water, cool quickly in ice water, drain, and freeze. Blanching halts the enzymes that would otherwise cause off-flavors and loss of color and texture in storage.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

01 of 04

What happened You got a tiny, button-sized head on a small plant instead of a full one. This happens when young broccoli gets stressed, usually from heat or from planting seedlings that were too old or pot-bound, so it rushes to make a head before it grows big enough. It's tempting to think the seed was bad, but a stressful start is almost always the reason. Next time, plant young, healthy seedlings with 4 to 6 real leaves into cool weather and keep them growing without any setback.You got a tiny, button-sized head on a small plant instead of a full one. This happens when broccoli is stressed early, often from heat or from transplants that were too old or root-bound when set out, and the plant heads prematurely before building a leafy frame. It is easy to blame poor seed, but the usual cause is a checked start. Next time set out young, vigorous transplants with 4 to 6 true leaves into cool conditions and keep them growing steadily without a stall. Next season Plant young seedlings (4 to 6 real leaves) into cool weather, and don't let them get stressed by heat, dryness, or sitting too long in their pots.Set out young transplants (4 to 6 true leaves) into cool weather and avoid any growth check from heat, drought, or being root-bound.

02 of 04

What happened The plant shot up a tall stalk with yellow flowers instead of making a tight head. Broccoli bolts (flowers early) when heat and long days tell it to bloom, and once that happens the head won't form. A common mistake is planting too late in spring so the heat catches it. Next time, plan so the head forms in cool weather, use fast heat-tolerant varieties in spring, and grow a fall crop that heads as it cools down.The plant shot up a flower stalk with yellow blooms instead of forming a tight head. Broccoli bolts when heat and long days signal it to flower, racing past the head stage; once it bolts the head cannot re-form. Growers often plant too late in spring and get caught by early heat. Next time time the crop so heading lands in cool weather, choose heat-tolerant short-cycle varieties for spring, and plant a fall crop that heads as the weather cools. Next season Plan your spring and fall crops so the heads form while it's cool, and pick fast, heat-tolerant varieties for spring.Time spring and fall crops so heads form in cool weather; use fast, heat-tolerant varieties for spring.

03 of 04

What happened The plant made plenty of leaves but only a loose, open head, or no head at all. This usually comes from heat while the head is forming, or from a nitrogen problem: too little and the head can't fill, too much late on and the plant just grows leaves. People often wait for a loose head to tighten up, but it won't. Next time, feed nitrogen steadily, water evenly, and time the crop so the head forms in dependably cool weather.The plant grew lots of leaves but made only a loose, open head or none at all. This usually comes from heat during head formation or from a nitrogen imbalance: too little starves the head, while a late flush of too much pushes leafy growth over heading. People often keep waiting for a loose head to tighten, but it will not. Next time keep nitrogen steady and even, ensure consistent moisture, and time the crop so heading happens in reliably cool weather. Next season Feed and water evenly, and aim for the head to form in cool weather, not right as summer heat arrives.Keep nitrogen and moisture steady, and time heading for cool weather rather than the edge of summer heat.

04 of 04

What happened You cut the head and found a hollow, sometimes brown space inside the stem. This usually comes from a shortage of the nutrient boron, or from the plant growing so fast (often from too much nitrogen) that the stem can't keep up and splits inside. The head is usually still fine to eat, so it's more about quality than losing the crop. Next time, don't overfeed nitrogen, keep growth steady, and only add boron if a soil test shows you need it.You cut the head and found a hollow, sometimes browned cavity in the stem. This is usually caused by boron deficiency or by growth so rapid (often from heavy nitrogen) that the stem tissue cannot keep up and splits internally. The head is often still edible, so it is more a quality issue than a loss. Next time avoid overfeeding nitrogen, keep growth steady rather than pushed, and correct a confirmed boron shortage with a soil amendment based on a soil test. Next season Don't push fast growth with too much nitrogen, and only add boron if a soil test says it's low.Avoid pushing growth with excess nitrogen; correct a confirmed boron deficiency based on a soil test.

The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Cabbageworms and cabbage loopers

P · 01

Symptoms You'll see ragged holes eaten in the leaves and head, green caterpillars on the plant, and little dark droppings. Some caterpillars loop up in the middle as they crawl.Ragged holes chewed in leaves and into developing heads, with green caterpillars and dark droppings on the foliage. Imported cabbageworms are velvety green; cabbage loopers move in a looping arch. Cause These are caterpillars that hatch from eggs laid by white butterflies and small moths. They love cabbage-family plants like broccoli and chew on the leaves and heads.The larvae of the imported cabbageworm, cabbage looper, and diamondback moth feed on brassica foliage and heads; the adults are white or brownish moths and butterflies that lay eggs on the leaves. Prevention Cover your plants with a light fabric row cover right after planting to keep the butterflies and moths from laying eggs. Clear away old cabbage-family plants, and start watching for the first white butterflies as your signal to act.Cover plants with floating row cover from transplanting to exclude the egg-laying adults; clean up brassica debris that shelters pupae, and watch for the first white butterflies as a spray cue.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

Clear away old cabbage-family plants after harvest, since the pupae shelter in the debris.
Floating row cover

Broccoli does not need bees, so you can leave the cover on the whole time. Tuck the edges down so the butterflies and moths cannot get under it to lay eggs.Broccoli needs no pollination, so the cover can stay on through harvest; seal the edges to exclude the egg-laying adults.
Handpicking

Check the undersides of the leaves and pick off the green caterpillars and eggs.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Bt kills only caterpillars and is safe for you and for bees, but it washes off, so spray again after rain.Bt is selective for caterpillars; reapply after rain or a flush of new growth, since it does not persist.
Spinosad

Use spinosad only if Bt and handpicking have not held. Spray in the evening when bees are not flying.A stronger organic option once the softer rungs have not held; time it to dusk to spare bees.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Aphids

P · 02

Symptoms You'll see clusters of tiny soft insects on the new growth, under leaves, and inside the head. Leaves curl up, and there may be a sticky coating. The waxy gray-green kind is hard to wash out of the head.Clusters of small soft-bodied insects on growing tips, leaf undersides, and tucked into the head; leaves curl and pucker, and a sticky residue and sooty mold may appear. Gray-green waxy cabbage aphids are especially hard to wash out of heads. Cause Aphids are tiny insects that suck juice from the plant. They breed fast in warm weather, and their feeding twists the leaves and gets into the heads.Several aphid species, notably the waxy cabbage aphid, suck sap from broccoli; they multiply quickly in warm weather and their feeding distorts growth and contaminates heads. Prevention Welcome helpful bugs like ladybugs that eat aphids, don't overdo the nitrogen fertilizer (lush growth attracts them), and check the new growth often so they don't reach the head.Encourage natural enemies like ladybugs and lacewings, avoid overfeeding nitrogen (which spurs the soft growth aphids favor), and inspect growing tips early so colonies do not reach the head.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Balanced nitrogen feeding

Go easy on nitrogen fertilizer; the soft, lush growth it pushes is what aphids swarm to.
Water spray

Blast colonies off with a strong jet of water, hitting under the leaves and inside the head where they hide.Aim under the leaves and into the head; the waxy gray-green cabbage aphid is the hardest to dislodge and to wash out of a cut head.
Beneficial predators

Ladybugs and lacewings usually clean up aphids on their own if you do not spray them off.
Insecticidal soap

For heavier clusters, coat the aphids directly under the leaves; repeat every few days.
Neem oil

A contact alternative to insecticidal soap for the same aphids; coat the leaf undersides where they cluster and repeat, and spray at dusk so you do not wet foraging bees.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Flea beetles

P · 03

Symptoms Lots of tiny round holes in the leaves of young plants, made by small dark beetles that jump away like fleas when you get close. Bad damage can stunt or kill seedlings.Tiny round shot-hole pits chewed in the leaves of young plants; the small dark beetles jump like fleas when disturbed. Heavy damage stunts or kills seedlings. Cause Flea beetles are small jumping beetles that chew on young cabbage-family leaves. They hurt seedlings most, because a tiny plant can't grow fast enough to recover.Flea beetles chew the foliage of young brassicas; they are most damaging at the seedling stage when a small plant cannot outgrow the feeding. Prevention Cover seedlings with row cover from the start, keep them strong with steady water and food so they grow past the damage, and pull nearby weeds in the cabbage family.Use row cover from transplanting, keep seedlings vigorous with even water and feeding so they grow through the damage, and clean up weedy brassica relatives nearby.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

Pull weedy cabbage-family relatives nearby that feed the beetles.
Floating row cover

Cover seedlings from day one. The real goal is getting them big and tough enough to outgrow the shot-hole damage.Exclude beetles from transplanting; the aim is carrying seedlings past the vulnerable stage.
Spinosad

Only if the beetles are thick enough to stunt the seedlings.
Carbaryl Rescue only

A last resort, mainly at the seedling stage, when flea beetles can kill young plants before they get going. Spot-treat only the affected plants rather than blanket-spraying, since a broad spray can flare cabbage aphids on broccoli. Read the label and mind the days-to-harvest wait.Reserve for a seedling-stage outbreak that the softer rungs have not held, since young broccoli can be killed outright. Spot-treat affected plants; blanket coverage risks flaring cabbage aphids by knocking out their predators. Observe the label pre-harvest interval.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Cabbage root maggot

P · 04

Symptoms New transplants wilt and grow badly or fall over. If you pull one up, you'll find small white maggots eating the roots. It's worst in cool, wet spring soil.Transplants wilt, grow poorly, and may collapse; pulling a plant reveals small white maggots tunneling in the roots and lower stem. Damage is worst in cool, wet spring soil. Cause A small fly lays eggs at the base of the plant, and the maggots that hatch burrow down and eat the roots. The fly is most active in cool spring weather.The larvae of the cabbage root fly tunnel into brassica roots; the adult fly lays eggs at the base of the stem, and the maggots hatch and feed on the roots below. Prevention Put a small collar or disk around the base of each transplant to stop the fly from laying eggs there, or use a row cover. Don't plant into cold, soggy soil, and avoid spots where you grew cabbage-family plants last year.Place a collar or disk around the stem base at transplanting to block egg-laying, or use row cover; avoid planting into cold, wet soil and rotate away from where brassicas grew.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

The fly builds up where cabbage-family plants grew last year, so move the bed.
Floating row cover

Seal the cover at the edges right at transplanting so the low-flying fly cannot reach the stem base to lay eggs. Broccoli needs no bees, so it can stay covered.Seal row cover at the edges from transplanting to block egg-laying at the stem base; no pollination is needed, so it stays on.
Stem collars

A tar-paper or cardboard disk laid flat on the soil around each transplant blocks the cabbage fly from laying eggs at the stem base.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Diseases

Clubroot

D · 01

Symptoms Plants wilt in the afternoon heat, stay small and yellowish, and don't bounce back. If you dig one up, the roots are swollen into lumpy, club-shaped knobs instead of normal roots.Plants wilt in the heat of the day, grow stunted and yellowed, and recover poorly; roots are swollen into distorted clubs and galls instead of normal fine roots. Cause A germ that lives in the soil infects the roots of cabbage-family plants and makes them swell up, which stops the plant from taking up water and food. It stays in the soil for years.A soilborne organism (Plasmodiophora brassicae) infects brassica roots and causes the galls, which block water and nutrient uptake. It persists in the soil for many years and spreads in contaminated soil and water. Prevention Don't grow broccoli or its cabbage-family relatives in the same spot more than once every 3 years, or longer if you've had clubroot. Keep the soil from being too acidic, improve drainage, and clean soil off your tools so you don't spread it.Rotate brassicas on a long cycle of at least 3 years, and longer where clubroot is known, since this ties directly to the rotation plan; keep soil pH up, improve drainage, and avoid moving infested soil on tools and boots.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

The soil germ lasts for years, so keep broccoli and its cabbage-family relatives out of an infested bed for at least 3 years, longer where clubroot has been bad.Long rotations of at least 3 years, and longer where clubroot is established, let soil inoculum decline; there is no cure once plants are infected.
Raise soil pH (liming)

Liming the soil toward neutral (pH 7.0 or above) holds clubroot back, but does not cure it.
Resistant varieties

Clubroot-resistant cabbage-family varieties exist and are worth choosing where the disease keeps returning.
Garden sanitation

Pull and destroy infected plants, and knock soil off tools and boots so you do not carry spores to clean beds.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Black rot

D · 02

Symptoms Yellow patches shaped like the letter V appear at the edges of the leaves, pointing inward, with black veins inside them. It can spread into the stem and rot the head.Yellow, V-shaped lesions spread inward from the leaf edges, with the veins inside the V turning black; the disease can move into the stem and rot the head. Cause A bacteria that often comes in on infected seeds or transplants. It gets into the leaves and travels through the plant's veins, spreading fastest in warm, wet weather.A seedborne bacterium (Xanthomonas campestris) that enters through leaf pores and wounds and moves through the plant's veins; it spreads in warm, wet conditions and on infected seed or transplants. Prevention Begin with clean, certified seed and healthy transplants, don't plant where cabbage-family crops grew recently, space plants for good airflow, and avoid watering from overhead or touching wet plants.Start with clean, certified seed and healthy transplants, rotate away from brassicas, give plants room for airflow, and avoid overhead watering and handling wet foliage.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

Rotate away from where cabbage-family crops grew recently.
Garden sanitation

Remove and destroy infected plants, and stay out of the bed when the foliage is wet, since that spreads the bacteria.Rogue out infected plants and avoid working among wet foliage, which moves the bacteria.
Resistant varieties

Start with clean, certified seed and resistant varieties; black rot often rides in on the seed.
Airflow and spacing

Space plants so the leaves dry fast; the bacteria spread fastest in warm, wet conditions.
Copper fungicide

Copper is a protectant that can slow spread, not a cure. It will not overcome infected seed, so the cultural steps come first.Copper acts only as a protectant against bacterial spread and cannot rescue systemic or seedborne infection; lead with sanitation and clean seed.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Downy mildew

D · 03

Symptoms Pale yellow blotches show on top of the leaves, with fuzzy grayish growth on the underside, mostly in cool, damp weather. A bad case can mark the head.Pale yellow patches form on the upper leaf surface with a fuzzy gray-white growth underneath, mainly in cool, damp weather; severe infection can discolor the head. Cause A mold-like disease that loves cool, wet, humid weather and spreads through the air and water. Wet leaves and crowded plants make it worse.A fungus-like organism that thrives in cool, wet, humid conditions and spreads by spores in water and air; long leaf wetness and crowded plantings favor it. Prevention Space plants so air moves between them, water at the soil instead of from above, keep the heads dry, and pick resistant varieties if downy mildew is common where you live.Space plants for good air movement, water at the soil line rather than overhead, keep heads dry, and choose resistant varieties where downy mildew is common.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Airflow and spacing

Space plants for good air movement and keep the heads dry; downy mildew needs long leaf wetness to take hold.Set spacing and site at planting for airflow, and water at the soil line so foliage dries quickly.
Resistant varieties

Choose resistant varieties where downy mildew shows up most years.
Garden sanitation

Strip off the worst-affected leaves as soon as you see the fuzzy gray growth underneath.
Copper fungicide

A copper spray can slow spread in a wet spell, but it is hard to stop once the humidity stays high.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

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Seasoned

Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

Do not plant broccoli or other cabbage-family crops in the same spot year after year. Waiting a few years between them helps avoid soil diseases like clubroot.Rotate so brassicas do not follow brassicas for at least 3 years, and longer where clubroot is present, since the clubroot organism persists in soil for years. Keeping soil pH at or above about 6.8 also helps suppress it.

Family

Brassica family (Brassicaceae), the cole crops

Years between

3 years

in the same bed

Avoid following

Other cabbage-family crops like cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and turnips.Other brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collards, turnip, radish, kohlrabi), which share clubroot and cabbage-family pests.

Plant after

Legumes such as beans and peas, or unrelated crops like tomatoes, squash, or onions.

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Broccoli

What's happening right now

Planting calendar

A second planting

Seed to garden

The growing journey

Your soil

Identify yours

What this crop wants

If your soil doesn't match

Containers and raised beds

Care guide

Soil pH for broccoli

Watering

Feeding

Companion planting

When to pick

What to expect

Recommended varieties

Storing your harvest

Common problems

Pests & diseases

Crop rotation

When plant taps you on the shoulder

Common questions

Got a question we missed?

Share a tip

Report a problem

Methodology & sources

Growing notes, weekly.