Content
Broccoli is grown for its high nutrient content. It contains a lot of vitamin C, carotene, proteins, various minerals. This is a dietary product that is recommended for people after heavy surgeries and for baby food. In addition, broccoli promotes the elimination of radionuclides.
The Russians started growing this type of cabbage not so long ago, but the vegetable has already become popular. Broccoli, the cultivation and care of which does not cause much difficulty, settled in the beds of gardeners. A healthy vegetable can be harvested several times per season. Broccoli can be grown in greenhouses, outdoors and even on balconies.
Interesting facts about broccoli
Broccoli is a relative of cauliflower. It also requires good lighting, so there is no need to shade broccoli, and high humidity. It can grow at low temperatures, tolerates frosts up to seven degrees without complications.
Broccoli is grown on loose, fertile soils with a slightly alkaline environment. On acidic soils, not only the yield decreases, but also the taste of the vegetable.
When choosing a place for growing broccoli, preference should be given to areas where potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, lentils were grown last year.
Broccoli cauliflower is interesting in that after cutting the head, the plant does not die, the vegetative process continues. As proof - the appearance of new heads on stepchildren. The vegetable grows quickly, small heads have time to ripen. As a rule, cabbage can be grown through seedlings or by direct sowing of seeds into the ground. Planting and leaving will delight lovers of vegetable growers.
Growing features
Russians most often prefer the seedless method of growing cabbage. How to plant broccoli with seeds in the ground, how to care for plantings, we'll talk about this.
Soil preparation
The technology for growing cauliflower and broccoli involves the preparation of the soil in autumn. They dig it up, remove the roots, weeds... It is advisable to add compost before digging the ground for broccoli cabbage. The ridges for the vegetable are not leveled so that after the snow melts, the water is well absorbed.
In the spring, when the soil warms up, it is dug up again and leveled about a week before sowing broccoli seeds so that it settles a little. It is advisable to add superphosphate and ammonium nitrate, as well as wood ash before digging the ridge. It protects all types of cabbage planting from black leg.
It's easy to understand that the soil is ready to accept broccoli seeds, just pick it up and squeeze it. If the soil does not form a lump, but crumbles, you can plant cabbage.
The peculiarity of the broccoli cultivation technique is that a well-lit place is selected for the plant. The sun should be on the site for at least six hours.
Seed preparation
Planting broccoli seeds in open ground is a convenient option, because you do not have to fiddle with seedlings. But the most important plus is that the plant does not have to experience stress during transplantation, which means that the cabbage will grow faster and give a rich harvest. Of course, this planting method uses broccoli varieties with short ripening times.
If you purchased kale seeds in granules, then they can be sown immediately.Ordinary planting material requires pre-treatment. It is needed primarily to destroy the spores of fungal diseases.
Processing instruction:
- Cabbage seeds are sorted, unripe seeds are selected, soaked in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then washed with clean water.
- In order for broccoli seeds to sprout faster, they need to be warmed up in hot, up to 55 degrees, water for 20 minutes, then quickly cooled with cold water.
- Hardening of seeds is carried out in the refrigerator, placing the seeds for a day.
- To stimulate growth and resistance to pests, before growing broccoli, the seed is treated with the following preparations:
- Agate-25;
- Albite;
- El-1;
- Epin.
If you follow the agrotechnics of preparing for planting broccoli, the result will be excellent. Your cabbage will look like the one in the photo.
Video on how gardeners prepare broccoli seeds:
Sowing seeds
Planting broccoli cabbage in open ground in each region of Russia is carried out at different times. Usually this is the end of April, beginning of May. If you use a greenhouse to grow cauliflower, then the temperature of the earth and the environment does not really matter.
How to properly plant broccoli seeds outdoors? Let's take a look at this issue.
Firstly, it should be borne in mind that more seed will be required than with the seedling method. Secondly, planting broccoli will have to be thinned out.
And now directly about planting seeds:
- The soil is spilled with hot water with potassium permanganate before sowing cabbage seeds. On a wet ridge, markings are made: the distance between the rows is at least 60 cm, the holes are at a distance of 35 to 40 cm. With this step, the plant will have enough space for development, and it is easier to care for vegetables.
- Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm, 2-3 grains in each hole. Make sure that the seeds do not end up at great depths or on the surface of the soil.
- After sowing, the soil is lightly rolled up and gently watered.
- A large plastic bottle is placed over each well by unscrewing the cap, as in the photo.
Subsequent watering is done through the neck. The lid can be closed on cold nights. The shelter-greenhouse is removed after the appearance of 3-4 leaves. By this time, there are no frosts.
Video about the rules for planting seeds in open ground:
Growing technology
As we said, broccoli is not a picky vegetable. If you follow the peculiarities of growing broccoli cabbage, then you can get more than one crop per season.
Planting seeds is the first and easiest part of growing broccoli. The main thing is to organize proper care.
Watering
First of all, you need to monitor soil moisture. All types of cabbage are demanding for watering, but they do not tolerate the swampy state of the land. In a too damp environment, pathogens and pests begin to attack the plant, and can lead to death.
Growing cauliflower and broccoli involves moderate watering, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. In the heat, you can organize the spraying of water over the plantings.
Loosening
The beds must be constantly loosened so that oxygen flows to the roots. Weeds are removed during loosening. They also have no place in the beds.
Top dressing
Planted cabbage responds well to feeding. They are held during the season at least three.
The first time broccoli is fed two weeks after germination. The most commonly used mullein. It is insisted for several days. Chopped herbs or nettles can be added. It is diluted 1: 1, that is, to obtain 10 liters of solution, take 5 liters of water and a mullein. Some gardeners add urea (large spoon).
For the second feeding, when the leaves on the broccoli begin to curl, nitrophosphate (2 large spoons) and boric acid (2 grams) are used. The components are dissolved in 10 liters of water.Pour 2 liters of fertilizer under each plant.
The third feeding can be done again with a mullein, it is diluted 1: 4.
When growing cauliflower and broccoli between liquid dressings, experienced vegetable growers add wood ash before watering.
Video about the rules for feeding broccoli in the growing process:
Diseases, pests of cabbage and methods of struggle
Most often cruciferous vegetables suffer from keels. The people call the disease a black leg. To prevent healthy plants from being struck by the disease, broccoli should be planted in an area where cabbage relatives have not previously grown. In addition, watering with a potassium permanganate solution and adding ash helps to destroy blackleg spores.
Caring for the planting of broccoli cabbage in the open field, you need to protect the plants from a horde of pests:
- slugs;
- cabbage butterfly caterpillars;
- aphids;
- snails;
- cruciferous flea;
- cabbage fly larvae.
All these pests damage the leaves, and the fly larvae damage the roots.
You can save yourself from slugs, snails with the help of an eggshell, crumbling it under the plants.
Cabbage does not like the smell of tomatoes, marigolds. They are planted in the garden bed between vegetables. If you sprinkle cabbage with a solution of valerian, then butterflies and cruciferous fleas do not fly up to the plantings. Snails, slugs and caterpillars must be handled.
Folk remedies recipes
Every vegetable grower who grows broccoli cabbage must grow tomatoes. They have to be pinned, to cut off the tops. There is no need to throw away this valuable pest control material. You can use hot pepper pods, garlic. The resulting infusions are sprayed with cabbage.
Here are some examples of infusions that will help when growing broccoli:
- Chop the leaves of tomatoes and put in an enamel bowl, pour boiling water over it.
- Insist in a liter of hot water a few pods of hot pepper (24 hours).
- Chop a head of garlic, add chopped tobacco leaves, pour boiling water over.
All formulations are environmentally friendly and do not affect the taste of cabbage in any way. It is better to resort to chemical preparations, as a last resort. After all, pesticides are not so harmless.
In conclusion, we share secrets
Real gardeners always try to share the successes of cultivating various vegetables. We will also reveal some of the secrets of growing broccoli in the open field.
- When sowing cabbage seeds in open ground, you need to slap the ground with your palm so that the roots can strengthen.
- Choose the sunniest place.
- If the cabbage grows a little, then it can be protected from the cabbage with a fine mesh.
- Cruciferous plants are planted in the same place only after 3-4 years.
- Eliminates aphids from broccoli dill. A few bushes of this branchy vegetable in the garden are enough.
- Adding baking soda and pepper when planting broccoli will get rid of many pests.
- Cabbage fly larvae are afraid of salt like fire. Add half a glass of this seasoning to a bucket of water and pour under the bush. 10 liters is enough for 20 cabbage bushes.
We think that our advice will help you get a rich harvest. We also hope that our readers will not keep the intricacies of growing vegetables, including broccoli, to themselves, but will share little secrets with novice gardeners.
